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 to delay or block a vote. The goal is to obstruct the legislative process, preventing a decision from being made on the bill in question. It's a procedural tool often employed by a minority to prevent a majority from enacting a law.

1936: Tommy Henderson's filibuster

In 1936, Tommy Henderson, an Independent Unionist MP, filibustered for nine and a half hours on the Appropriation Bill in the Northern Ireland House of Commons, criticizing various aspects of the Unionist government.

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

On November 22, 1960, Ahrn Palley, an Independent member of the Southern Rhodesia Legislative Assembly, staged a filibuster against the Law and Order Maintenance Bill. This filibuster involved moving a series of amendments, resulting in multiple speeches and comments that extended the Assembly's sitting from 8 PM to 12:30 PM the next day.

April 1963: Roseller Lim's filibuster in the Philippine Senate

In April 1963, Roseller Lim of the Nacionalista Party conducted the longest filibuster in Philippine Senate history, lasting over 18 hours. He aimed to delay the election for the President of the Senate, awaiting the arrival of party-mate Alejandro Almendras from the United States to prevent Ferdinand Marcos's election to the Senate Presidency.

May 2, 1977: Senator Bill Meier's 43-hour filibuster in Texas

Starting on May 2, 1977, Senator Bill Meier began a 43-hour filibuster to delay the passage of a bill concerning the publication of workplace injury claims under state open records law. He wore an "astronaut bag" to comply with Senate rules regarding standing during the speech.

May 6, 1991: Mike Harris's 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), containing the names of every lake, river, and stream in the province, to derail the implementation of the budget by the NDP government.

March 11, 1993: Madeleine Petrovic's Filibuster

On March 11, 1993, Madeleine Petrovic filibustered for 10 hours and 35 minutes, setting a record that led to changes in standing orders to limit speaking time.

1993: Jorge Ulloa's Six-Hour Speech

In 1993, Jorge Ulloa of the Independent Democratic Union held a six-hour-long speech at the Chamber of Deputies in Valparaíso, to allow Pablo Longueira to arrive from Concepción and vote on the impeachment of three Supreme Court justices.

April 1997: NDP and Liberal Filibuster Against Metro Toronto Amalgamation

In April 1997, the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Ontario Liberal Party filibustered against the Progressive Conservatives' Bill 103, which would amalgamate the municipalities of Metro Toronto into the "megacity" of Toronto, by introducing thousands of amendments.

1999: Reform Party of Canada Filibuster

In 1999, the Reform Party of Canada filibustered on native treaty issues in British Columbia, marking the longest filibuster until the NDP's action in 2011.

1999: Filibuster in LegCo over Municipal Services Bill

In 1999, the first filibuster in the Legislative Council (LegCo) after the Handover occurred during the second reading of the Provision of Municipal Services (Reorganization) Bill, aimed at dissolving the Urban Council and Regional Council; the Pro-establishment Camp filibustered to delay the vote until absent legislators could cast their votes.

August 2000: New Zealand opposition parties delay vote on Employment Relations Bill

In August 2000, opposition parties National and ACT in New Zealand delayed the voting process for the Employment Relations Bill. They employed tactics such as voting slowly and using the Māori language, which necessitated translation into English, to prolong the proceedings.

December 2, 2005: Andrew Dismore's filibuster

On December 2, 2005, Andrew Dismore, a Labour MP, spoke for three hours and 17 minutes to block the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Protection of Property) Bill, which he termed as "vigilante law".

August 2006: Left-Wing Opposition Submits Amendments to Gaz de France Law

In August 2006, the left-wing opposition submitted 137,449 amendments to the proposed law bringing the share in Gaz de France owned by the French state from 80% to 34% in order to allow for the merger between Gaz de France and Suez.

October 26, 2006: Tom Lukiwski Filibusters Kyoto Accord Study

On October 26, 2006, Tom Lukiwski filibustered for almost 120 minutes to prevent the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development from studying a bill to implement the Kyoto Accord.

2007: Privatisation of Gaz de France

In 2007, the privatisation of Gaz de France was not successful due to lack of support amongst the general population, and fear that it will be used by the left-wing opposition in the presidential election.

January 2008: Time limits on speeches in the Althing

As of January 2008, the Althing in Iceland implemented time limits on all speeches by its members, restricting members to two speeches each on the first and third readings of a bill, but allowing indefinite debate during the second reading to potentially stall legislation.

February 5, 2008: Tom Lukiwski Blocks Inquiry into Conservative Party Spending

On February 5, 2008, Tom Lukiwski spoke for about 6 hours at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to block inquiry into allegations of excessive spending by the Conservative Party during the 2006 Canadian federal election.

February 7, 2008: Tom Lukiwski Blocks Inquiry into Conservative Party Spending

On February 7, 2008, Tom Lukiwski spoke for about 6 hours at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to block inquiry into allegations of excessive spending by the Conservative Party during the 2006 Canadian federal election.

July 2008: Reform of Article 49 Paragraph 3

The reform of July 2008 restricted the use of the article 49 paragraph 3 procedure to budgetary measures only, plus one time each ordinary session, on any bill.

December 18, 2009: Pro-Democracy Camp Filibusters Express Rail Link Funding

On December 18, 2009, legislators of the Pro-democracy Camp filibustered during a debate about financing the construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, delaying the passing of the bill.

2009: Filibuster of Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill

In 2009, multiple parties filibustered the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill, opposing the government's plan to establish a new Auckland Council without proper debate or select committee review. They introduced numerous wrecking amendments and voted in Māori, requiring translation into English, causing significant delays.

January 16, 2010: Pro-Democracy Camp Filibusters Express Rail Link Funding

On January 16, 2010, legislators of the Pro-democracy Camp filibustered during a debate about financing the construction of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, delaying the passing of the bill from December 18, 2009, to January 16, 2010.

December 16, 2010: Werner Kogler's Filibuster

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

June 23, 2011: NDP Filibuster Against Bill C-6

Beginning on June 23, 2011, the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Canada led a filibustering session in an attempt to prevent the passing of Bill C-6, lasting fifty-eight hours.

June 25, 2011: NDP Filibuster Against Bill C-6

Ending on June 25, 2011, the New Democratic Party (NDP) filibustered for fifty-eight hours against Bill C-6, which aimed to impose a four-year contract on Canada Post workers, arguing it undermined collective bargaining.

May 17, 2012: Termination of Filibuster on Legislative Council Bill

On May 17, 2012, the President of the LegCo, Jasper Tsang, terminated the debate on the Legislative Council (Amendment) Bill after Albert Chan and Wong Yuk-man submitted 1306 amendments, citing Article 92 of the Rules of Procedure of LegCo.

2012: Liberal National Coalition Filibustering

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

2013: Attempt to Ban Filibuster in Finance Committee

In 2013, Ip Kwok-him of the DAB sought to limit each member to move only one motion, by amending the procedures of the Finance Committee and its two subcommittees, leading to 1.9 million amendments from the pan-democracy camp.

2014: Alan Shatter's "Drone Attack" Filibuster

In 2014, Justice Minister Alan Shatter in an unknown jurisdiction was noted for performing a filibuster that was perceived as a "Drone Attack" because he continued to "drone on and on".

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 for several meetings, including one where he spoke for over 8 hours, to support cross-country hearings on the bill.

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

On February 23, 2016, South Korean opposition lawmakers began a filibuster against the Anti-Terrorism bill, arguing it would grant excessive power to the National Intelligence Service, potentially infringing on citizens' privacy.

April 6, 2017: Senate Vote on Filibuster of 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' support for the 60-vote threshold

In April 2017, a group of 61 senators showed their support by signing a letter, upholding the 60-vote threshold for legislation and opposing its abolishment.

September 6, 2017: Filibuster in the Catalonian parliament

On September 6, 2017, opposition lawmakers in the Catalonian parliament launched a filibuster. The goal was to delay the independence referendum.

2017: Opposition MPs Filibuster Government Motion

In the spring of 2017, Conservative and NDP Opposition MPs united to filibuster a motion from Government House Leader Bardish Chagger, arguing it was an attempt to limit the opposition's ability to hold the government to account.

November 8, 2021: Jaime Naranjo's 15-Hour Speech

On November 8, 2021, Jaime Naranjo, deputy from the Socialist Party, spoke for almost 15 hours during the discussion of the impeachment against President Sebastián Piñera, allowing for other deputies to arrive and participate in the session.

January 19, 2022: Senate vote to change the filibuster fails

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

2022: Michaelia Cash's Filibuster

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

December 2025: Jang Dong-hyeok's Longest Filibuster Record

As of December 2025, Jang Dong-hyeok of the People Power Party held the record for the longest filibuster, speaking for 24 hours and a minute. He was opposing a bill requiring the judiciary to assign judges for trials related to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis.

December 2025: Lithuania’s opposition stages parliamentary filibuster

In December 2025, Lithuania’s opposition launched its first parliamentary filibuster. They aimed to obstruct controversial amendments designed to streamline the dismissal process for the Director General of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).

2025: Hakeem Jeffries sets record for longest speech on House floor

In 2025, Hakeem Jeffries set a record by delivering the longest speech on the House floor, which lasted 8 hours and 44 minutes. He opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.