Party leaders dominate today’s Senate because rank-and-file senators increasingly defer to them - not because the chamber’s rules require it. Senators accepted less influence over legislation in exchange for a more predictable schedule, fewer difficult votes, and less responsibility for making the Senate work.

Senate minorities only gain leverage when they are willing to use the tools available to them.

The parliamentarian’s influence is significant, but the Senate’s rules are ultimately determined by senators themselves.

Efforts to change the rules often reflect politics more than procedure.

One point of order can derail an entire legislative strategy.

A review of the different ways senators use holds to achieve their goals.

A primer on Senate holds.

Democrats could have already voted to begin debate on the voting rights bill if they spent less time complaining about the Senate’s rules and more time using them to achieve their goals.

Not every political demand fits within the rules that govern Congress.