History of Filibuster in Timeline

A filibuster is a tactic used in legislative bodies where one or more members extend debate on a proposed law. The aim is to delay or prevent a vote on the legislation. This is done by continuously talking, and is also referred to as 'talking a bill to death'. It is a form of obstruction employed in a legislature or other decision-making body to hinder or prevent a vote on a measure.

1936: Tommy Henderson's Filibuster in Northern Ireland

In 1936, Tommy Henderson, an Independent Unionist MP for Shankill, spoke for nine and a half hours on the Appropriation Bill in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.

1957: Strom Thurmond's Filibuster

In 1957, Strom Thurmond filibustered against the Civil Rights Act.

November 22, 1960: Ahrn Palley's Filibuster in Southern Rhodesia

On November 22, 1960, Independent member Ahrn Palley staged a filibuster against the Law and Order Maintenance Bill in the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Assembly, moving a long series of amendments which resulted in the Assembly sitting from 8 PM to 12:30 PM the following day.

April 1963: Roseller Lim's Record Filibuster in the Philippine Senate

In April 1963, Roseller Lim of the Nacionalista Party held the longest filibuster in Philippine Senate history, standing for more than 18 hours to wait for party-mate Alejandro Almendras during the election for the President of the Senate of the Philippines.

May 6, 1991: Mike Harris' Zebra Mussel Act Filibuster

On May 6, 1991, Mike Harris, then leader of the opposition Progressive Conservatives, introduced Bill 95 (a.k.a. Zebra Mussel Act) to derail the implementation of the budget tabled by the NDP government under premier Bob Rae. This action filled the day's session until adjournment.

March 11, 1993: Madeleine Petrovic's Filibuster

On March 11, 1993, Madeleine Petrovic held a record filibuster that lasted 10 hours and 35 minutes.

1993: Jorge Ulloa's six-hour speech

In 1993, Jorge Ulloa of the Independent Democratic Union in Chile delivered a six-hour-long speech in the Chamber of Deputies in Valparaíso. This filibuster was intended to delay the vote on the impeachment of three Supreme Court justices to allow Pablo Longueira to arrive from Concepción in time to vote.

April 1997: NDP and Liberal Filibuster Against Metro Toronto Amalgamation

In April 1997, the Ontario New Democratic Party and the Ontario Liberal Party filibustered against the Progressive Conservatives' Bill 103, which proposed to amalgamate the municipalities of Metro Toronto. The NDP introduced 11,500 amendments, while the Liberals offered a smaller series.

1999: Reform Party of Canada Filibuster

In 1999, the Reform Party of Canada conducted a filibuster on native treaty issues in British Columbia, preceding the June 23, 2011 NDP filibuster.

1999: Filibuster over Municipal Services Bill

In 1999, the first instance of filibuster in the Legislative Council (LegCo) after the Handover occurred during the second reading of the Provision of Municipal Services (Reorganization) Bill. The bill aimed to dissolve the Urban Council and Regional Council. Pro-establishment legislators and Michael Suen, the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, filibustered to delay the vote until the following day, ensuring the absentee pro-Establishment legislators could cast their votes, as their presence was needed to pass the bill.

August 2000: New Zealand Parties Delay Employment Relations Bill

In August 2000, New Zealand opposition parties National and ACT delayed the voting for the Employment Relations Bill by voting slowly, and in some cases in Māori, which required translation into English.

December 2, 2005: Andrew Dismore Blocks Criminal Law Bill

On December 2, 2005, Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for Hendon, spoke for three hours and 17 minutes to block a Conservative private member's bill, the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Protection of Property) Bill.

August 2006: Amendments to Gaz de France law

In August 2006, a record number of amendments were submitted by the left-wing opposition to the proposed law regarding Gaz de France, totaling 137,449 amendments. These amendments aimed to maintain the French state's share in Gaz de France at 80% instead of reducing it to 34% to allow for a merger with Suez. The normal parliamentary procedure would have required 10 years to vote on all the amendments.

October 26, 2006: Tom Lukiwski Filibusters Kyoto Accord Study

On October 26, 2006, Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski filibustered for nearly 120 minutes to prevent the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development from studying a private member's bill to implement the Kyoto Accord.

2007: Presidential Election

In 2007, the left-wing opposition considered using the Gaz de France privatisation law as a political argument in the presidential election. Nicolas Sarkozy, then President of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP), had previously promised that the French government's share in Gaz de France would remain above 70%.

February 5, 2008: Tom Lukiwski Filibusters Election Inquiry

On February 5, 2008, Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski filibustered for approximately 6 hours at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs meetings.

February 7, 2008: Tom Lukiwski Continues Election Inquiry Filibuster

On February 7, 2008, Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski continued his filibuster at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs meetings, seeking to block inquiry into allegations that the Conservative Party spent more than the maximum allowable campaign limits during the 2006 Canadian federal election.

July 2008: Reform of Article 49

In July 2008, a reform was made to the French constitution's Article 49, paragraph 3. This reform restricted the government's power to adopt laws without a majority to budgetary measures and only one other bill per ordinary session (October to June). Before this reform, Article 49.3 was frequently used, especially when the government lacked a majority in the National Assembly.

December 18, 2009: Delay of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link bill

On December 18, 2009, legislators of the Pro-democracy Camp initiated a filibuster during a debate about financing the construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. They raised numerous questions on minor issues, causing a delay in passing the bill. This debate continued until January 16, 2010, with thousands of anti-high-speed rail protesters surrounding the Legislative Council Building during the meetings.

2009: Filibuster of Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill

In 2009, several parties filibustered the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill in opposition to the government setting up a new Auckland Council under urgency and without debate or review by the select committee. They proposed thousands of wrecking amendments and voted in Māori.

January 16, 2010: Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link bill delayed

On January 16, 2010, the Pro-democracy Camp's filibuster continued from December 18, 2009, delaying the passing of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link bill. This occurred amidst protests from thousands of anti-high-speed rail demonstrators surrounding the Legislative Council Building.

December 16, 2010: Werner Kogler's Budget Committee Filibuster

On December 16, 2010, Werner Kogler of the Austrian Green Party filibustered before the budget committee for 12 hours and 42 minutes, criticizing the failings of the budget and the governing parties.

June 23, 2011: NDP Filibuster in Canadian House of Commons

On June 23, 2011, the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the House of Commons of Canada began a filibuster to prevent the passing of Bill C-6, legislation that imposed a four-year contract and pay conditions on locked out Canada Post workers.

June 25, 2011: NDP Filibuster Ends

On June 25, 2011, the New Democratic Party's (NDP) fifty-eight hour filibuster to prevent the passing of Bill C-6, concluded. The Conservative Party of Canada, holding a majority in the House, passed the bill.

May 17, 2012: Termination of Legislative Council debate

On the morning of May 17, 2012, Jasper Tsang, the President of the LegCo, terminated the debate on the Legislative Council (Amendment) Bill due to a filibuster by Albert Chan and Wong Yuk-man of People Power, who submitted 1306 amendments. The bill aimed to forbid lawmakers from participating in by-elections after their resignation, a response to the Five Constituencies Referendum. Tsang cited Article 92 of the Rules of Procedure to end the debate. Ultimately, all motions to amend the bill were defeated, and the bill was passed.

2012: Liberal National Coalition Filibuster

In 2012, Tony Abbott's Liberal National coalition used the suspension of standing orders to filibuster, particularly during question time against the Labor government.

November 21, 2013: Senate Changes Filibuster Rules for Nominees

On November 21, 2013, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 52 to 48 to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of all executive and judicial nominees, excluding Supreme Court nominees.

2013: Attempts to ban filibuster

In 2013, Ip Kwok-him of the DAB sought to limit each member to move only one motion to ban filibusters, by amending the procedures of the Finance Committee and its two subcommittees. In response, all 27 members from the pan-democracy camp submitted 1.9 million amendments. The Secretariat estimated the vetting process would require 408 man-months, and the voting time would take 23,868 two-hour meetings if all amendments were admitted.

2014: Alan Shatter's "Drone Attack" Filibuster

In 2014, Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter performed a filibuster which was perceived as droning on and on, and hence termed a "Drone Attack".

2014: David Christopherson Filibusters Fair Elections Act

In early 2014, NDP MP David Christopherson filibustered the government's Bill C-23, the Fair Elections Act, at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, speaking for over 8 hours to support his motion for cross-country hearings on the bill.

February 23, 2016: South Korean filibuster against Anti-Terrorism bill

On February 23, 2016, South Korean opposition lawmakers initiated a filibuster to stall the Anti-Terrorism bill, which they argued would grant excessive power to the National Intelligence Service and infringe upon citizens' privacy. The filibuster lasted for 193 hours, concluding on March 2 with the eventual passage of the bill.

April 6, 2017: Senate Changes Filibuster Rules for Supreme Court Nominees

On April 6, 2017, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 52 to 48 to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of Supreme Court nominees.

April 2017: Senators Oppose Abolishing Filibuster

In April 2017, a broad mix of 61 senators (32 Republicans, 28 Democrats, and one independent) signed a letter stating their support for the 60-vote threshold and their opposition to abolishing the filibuster for legislation.

September 6, 2017: Catalonian parliament filibuster

On September 6, 2017, opposition lawmakers in the Catalonian parliament started a filibuster to stall the independence referendum.

2017: Opposition Filibuster of Government Motion

In the spring of 2017, Conservative and NDP Opposition MPs filibustered a motion from Government House Leader Bardish Chagger, which lasted from March 21 until May 2, when the Liberals agreed to drop controversial elements.

November 8, 2021: Jaime Naranjo's filibuster in Chile

On November 8, 2021, in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Jaime Naranjo, a deputy from the Socialist Party, spoke for nearly 15 hours during the discussion of the impeachment against President Sebastián Piñera. This filibuster allowed Gonzalo Winter and Giorgio Jackson of the Broad Front, who were in COVID-19 quarantine, to arrive in Congress to participate in the session. Additionally, Jorge Sabag of the Christian Democratic Party, who was initially hesitant, was convinced to travel from Chillán to Valparaíso, arriving that night. Their votes were crucial to impeach Piñera.

2021: Kevin McCarthy's Record Speech

In 2021, Kevin McCarthy used the magic minute to set a record for the longest speech on the House floor (8 hours and 33 minutes) in opposition to the Build Back Better Act.

2021: Arguments for Ending the Filibuster

In 2021, the Senate filibuster's past, particularly its historical usage in blocking civil rights legislation, fuelled arguments for its end.

January 19, 2022: Senate Vote to Change Filibuster Fails

On January 19, 2022, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted to change the filibuster, but the vote failed 52–48 due to the defection of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

2022: Michaelia Cash's Filibuster

In 2022, Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash engaged in a nine-hour filibuster in committee of the whole to stall the passage of industrial relations laws.

April 1, 2025: Cory Booker's Marathon Speech

On April 1, 2025, Cory Booker gave the longest senate speech in American history, known as Cory Booker's marathon speech. This speech, however, was not a filibuster, as there was no vote on a bill being blocked.