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Following a rule change in the 1970s, the minority is now incentivized to use the filibuster more frequently.
In this episode of Civitas Conversations, Richard Reinsch speaks with Joseph Postell, an expert in Congress and administrative law, about the future of the filibuster and the deeper institutional challenges facing the U.S. Senate.
Drawing on Postell’s Civitas Outlook essay, “Why Can’t We Have a Filibuster?”, the conversation explores how the Senate moved from dramatic, “talking” filibusters—where senators held the floor for hours—to today’s low-cost, procedural obstruction that effectively imposes a 60-vote threshold on nearly all legislation.
Civitas Conversations features leading scholars, commentators, and thought leaders for in-depth discussions of the latest essays in Civitas Outlook—and the ideas behind them. A production of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
Civitas Conversations
John Yoo on Andrew Jackson's Gunslinger Presidency
Jackson fundamentally changed the presidency from a weak office into the powerful institution we know today.
Michael Toth on Zohran Mamdani and the Future of Progressivism
Civitas Outlook editor-in-chief Richard M. Reinsch II interviews Michael Toth about his recent Outlook piece titled "Escape from New York," which explores how high taxes and heavy regulation are pushing companies and residents out of New York.
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