It took all morning and part of the afternoon, but the U.S. Senate has officially changed the rules so that nominations (not including to the Supreme Court) can get cloture with the support of 50 senators (with the vice-president breaking a tie) rather than the 60 senators that have been required previously. The final vote was 52-48, with Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) joining with a unanimous Republican opposition to the change.
This was an unfortunate but necessary move by Harry Reid. If the filibuster has any legitimate purpose, it is for lifetime appointments. I think it is safe to say that women’s reproductive rights are less safe as a result of this change in the rules, but ultimately it probably won’t make much of a difference. The Democrats can now nominate and confirm more liberal judges, and the Republicans almost definitely would have changed the rules if they found one of their nominees blocked in the future.
Our job just got a little more urgent. We cannot lose control of the Senate and we must win the next two presidential elections, at a minimum, or we will see women’s rights rolled back.
Yet, I still applaud the Democrats for standing up for themselves and for the power of the Executive Branch to get votes on their nominees. Good for them. It was a long time coming.
Comity is dead. Long live comity.
