Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday invoked the "nuclear option," killing the filibuster for Supreme Court confirmation votes. Senate Democrats in 2013, then in control of the upper house, did the same thing for most other federal nominees. In each case, supporters argued the change was necessary to overcome minority obstructionism and proceed with the business of governing.
Though this week's vote passed along party lines, many Republicans expressed opposition to the nuclear option earlier this year. And in the run-up to Thursday's vote, a bipartisan group of nine senators made a secret, last-ditch effort to save the filibuster. Politico reports on why they failed:
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