Filibuster 101: How One Senator Can Stop Everything | Civics Made Easy

Why do most bills need 60 votes to pass the Senate? In this episode of Civics Made Easy, Ben Sheehan explains the filibuster’s history, evolution, rules, and potential reforms. Is the filibuster a tool of bipartisan compromise or just a partisan obstruction tactic? Also, if the filibuster isn’t mentioned in the Constitution or set by federal law, how’d we get it in the first place? And what would America’s founders think about it?

About the Author:
Passionate about fostering critical thinking and informed citizenship, Mary Kate Lonergan serves as the K-6 social studies curriculum specialist at Fayetteville-Manlius Central Schools. Her previous experience teaching eighth grade social studies, high school world history, and participation in government fuels her commitment to student learning. Lonergan empowers students to critically engage with media and information by making media literacy the throughline of her social studies curriculum. She has developed and implemented media and digital literacy professional development courses and has presented at conferences from the national to local levels. Lonergan is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator, serves as a teacher collaborator with Ithaca College’s Project Look Sharp, and is a faculty member of the Media Education Lab’s Summer Institute in Digital Literacy.