In early April, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed to the US Supreme Court. However, this was done by the forceful nuclear option. Supreme Court nominees were once subject to the filibuster, prior to the recent Senate rule-change. Our country depends on the system of checks and balances that provide stability in an increasingly divided nation. If President Trump has the ability to nominate more originalist judges to the Supreme Court, like Gorsuch, these balances would begin to strain. Such nominations would drastically change the path of our democracy long after the Trump administration.
Partition of Issue Brief
- Introduction/brief history
- Overview of idea of the filibuster
- Important vocabulary: Majority, simple majority, minority, cloture...
- Most recent Senate rule change
- History of Senate rule changes regarding filibuster
- Filibuster used in the House of Representatives until 1824
- History of filibuster in the Roman Senate
- Defining the problem
- Filibuster is on the rise: graphics, explanation
- Significance
- Popular Senate tactics used in the past
- How were those dealt with
- Dealing with the filibuster in other countries
- Solution proposition
Narrative (The story)
The rules have changed. Thesis. The Senate used to be like this... If you go back 2000 years we will see how this tactic lead to the demise of the Roman civilization. The problem with the current system is this: ... Looking to history for possible solutions: how were similar senate tactics dealt with. Looking to other countries for inspiration. What can be learned from these solutions. The solution.
Thesis: Unchecked, the filibuster is a senate tool that is potentially dangerous to our democracy. The power of the filibuster must be limited to improve the productivity of our judicial and legislative bodies.
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