With the Senate so closely divided and a legislative agenda on democracy reform, labor rights, and the environment hanging in the balance, the debate over whether to eliminate the filibuster has intensified. Advocates point to the concerning history of the Senate rule which in the past has been used to protect slavery, block civil rights legislation, and prevent labor law reform as reason to dispense with the super-majoritarian requirement. Others argue restraint, suggesting either keeping the filibuster as is or reforming it, perhaps by returning it to its original roots as a "talking filibuster" made famous by the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Is the filibuster "a relic of the Jim Crow era" that disproportionately blocks civil rights and labor rights legislation? Or is it a necessary tool to protect minority rights in the Senate?

ACS is pleased to co-sponsor this event with the A. Alfred Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy at Brown University.

Speakers:
Richard Arenberg, Interim Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, Brown University
Keisha Blain, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Russ Feingold, President, ACS
Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
Debra Perlin, Director of Policy and Program, ACS, Moderator

This event has been approved for 1 hour of California CLE credit.

Find CLE reading materials click here, and find the Evaluation Form, Certificate of Attendance, and Record of Attendance here.

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