Warren Breaks Senate Rule, Prohibited From Debating Sessions Nomination

For the remainder of Tuesday night and for most of Wednesday, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren is prohibited from debating on the floor of the Senate. That's because her Senate colleagues found her guilty of impugning another senator, Jeff Sessions, whose nomination for attorney general is being considered.

With a 52 seat Senate majority and control of the White House, Republicans are now able to confirm Trump cabinet nominees with a 50 vote majority and Democrats are furious. And while Democrats can't stop nominees unless Republicans defect, they're resorting to the time-honored Senate tactic of parliamentary delay.

Tuesday night, after Vice President Pence cast a tiebreaking vote on (now) Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Democrats again delivered on their promise to use the 30 required hours of debate on the nomination of Sessions as a toothless quasi-filibuster. Majority Leader McConnell, perhaps sick of the delays and eager to play hard ball, opted to "run the clock" straight through the night, forcing Democrats to make their arguments against Sessions (like with DeVos) all night long.

Senator Warren, a fierce critic of Sessions, was warned for potentially violating the Senate's Rule 19, which reads (in part): "No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator."

Warren was warned by the presiding officer, Senator Daines, for quoting remarks made by the late Senator Ted Kennedy during Senate consideration of Sessions for the federal bench in 1986.