What is the filibuster? Democrats and Republicans spar over legislative rule

Rogers Smith of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the history of filibusters and the pros and cons of eliminating the practice. "Filibusters were rare, however, until the late 19th century, when the Republicans were most often the dominant party, and Democrats especially found they could block laws they didn't like by using filibusters to prevent anything else getting done until their opponents gave up," he said.

・ From Newsweek