Hacking Democratic Rules Isn’t Good Government

On a list of topics of broad general interest to the reading public, “parliamentary procedure” used to fall somewhere between “competitive badminton” and “advanced topics in topiary design.” Now, however, it is having a moment in the limelight, thanks to the latest installment of “Supreme Court Wars: The Never-ending Story.”

Before the election, the Senate’s refusal to hold a vote on the appointment of Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, seemed destined to be a footnote in history. Hillary Clinton would win the election, a different and even more liberal nominee would be put forward (quite possibly to a Democratic-controlled Senate), and after decades of conservative dominance, the Supreme Court would once again tilt leftward.