washington republicans poise repeal u.s. senate rule allow minority-party democrats block confirmation supreme court nominees include president donald trump choice neil gorsuch lifetime post expect rule change amid deepen partisanship chamber know world great deliberative body raise question whether could future move prohibit filibuster legislation filibuster use curtail could mean procedural move often minority senators block legislation supreme court nominations typically enjoy support majority-party senators case republicans accord senate historians filibuster come dutch word mean pirate practice become popular 1850s also use house representatives members body become large expand u.s. population require strict rule govern floor debate senate democrats gather 41 vote need 100-seat chamber mount filibuster gorsuch conservative appeal court judge first u.s. president say observe senate create cool legislation hot-tempered house saucer use cool hot tea filibuster coolant bill supreme court nomination hit senate floor senators oppose talk least 60 senators band together limit debate give minority senators huge power bill nomination fail draw need 60 vote effectively kill all-time record senate filibuster speech 24 hours 18 minutes set late segregationist senator strom thurmond try unsuccessfully 1957 kill civil right bill week democratic senator jeff merkley deliver eighth-longest speech gorsuch 15 hours 26 minutes senate slang ban filibuster rule change majority party recent years filibuster add senate gridlock threats execute nuclear option group senators know gang sometimes defuse threats 2013 democratic senate majority leader harry reid deploy nuclear option become feed republican filibuster then-president barack obama nominees change senate rule ban filibuster president judicial executive-branch nominees leave place supreme court appointees senate majority leader mitch mcconnell republican think ready expand ban supreme court nominees mcconnell tell reporters broaden ban filibuster legislation believe republican senators would want political scientists think democrats gain republicans end filibuster legislation sense always democratic policy priorities suffer filibuster republican priorities say george washington university political science professor sarah binder democrats likely republicans back expansion government program generally require legislation binder say could imagine democrats republicans try score major win issue central constituencies democrats filibuster could mean try pass another major healthcare campaign finance reform new gun control republicans sort major deregulation industry change entitlement program social security medicare medicaid factbox gorsuch fight put long-held senate tradition stake