The Filibuster and Legislative Discussion

William Howell and Shu Fu evaluate how changes to the filibuster impact legislative debate. Their findings suggest that they rarely correlate. When they have a meaningful link, the research indicates that the filibuster impedes rather than enhances Senate debate.

Discussion Questions

1. Proponents of the filibuster often claim it ensures the minority party has a voice. If this research refutes those arguments, does that weaken the case for the filibuster?
2. Are there potential issues with measuring the length of debate, as the researchers did, instead of other ways of considering the filibuster’s impact? What measures would you have used?