A Short History of the Filibuster

The Senate’s tradition of unlimited debate allowed individuals to hold the floor indefinitely, and the word filibuster, from Dutch for pirate, took hold by the 1850s. In 1917, after filibusters blocked wartime measures, the Senate adopted cloture, initially requiring two thirds present.

Strom Thurmond set the solo record in 1957, speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes against a civil rights bill. In 1975 the threshold dropped to three fifths of the whole Senate, 60 votes.

Filibusters were once rare, hours-long ordeals; today the mere threat of one routinely shapes what reaches a vote..