Judge Roy Moore: the Legislative Filibuster ‘Violates the Constitution’

Alabama Judge Roy Moore told One America News in an interview  that he believes that the Senate legislative filibuster “violates the constitution.”

Roy Moore argued:

I think the 60-vote rule, which is a Senate rule, violates the constitution. When you have a 60-vote rule that says that you cannot even consider legislation before you put it to the floor, you are actually preventing something that the Senate allows. That is improper and unconstitutional. A lot of senators support that rule, my primary opponent, Luther Strange, supported that rule.

Moore added that the Senate legislative filibuster allows for senators to avoid tough votes, such as immigration control and funding the southern border wall.

Judge Roy Moore suggested, “That way they don’t have to identify their vote, and they don’t have to vote on it, they can hide from it.”

Conservatives, nationalists, and populists have consistently argued that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) should drop the legislative filibuster to pass President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Trump tweeted in August, “If Republican Senate doesn’t get rid of the Filibuster Rule & go to a simple majority, which the Dems would do, they are just wasting time!”

The president argued in another rally in August, “We have to get rid of what’s called the filibuster rule; we have to,” he said. “And if we don’t, the Republicans will never get anything passed. You’re wasting your time.”

In November, Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Jody Hice (R-GA), and Andy Biggs (R-GA) took to the House floor and declared that Mitch McConnell should drop the legislative filibuster.

Congressman King argued although the House passed Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act in June, the Senate has yet to take up the bill because of the legislative filibuster.

“We had a tragedy in San Francisco with the murder of Kate Steinle. She was murdered by an illegal immigrant who was deported five times,” he said. “But he kept coming back to San Francisco because he knew it was a sanctuary city. Kate Steinle now rests in her grave, and America feels her pain.”

“If we got rid of the Senate filibuster, we would see more action on this bill,” King declared.

Rep. Andy Biggs said the Senate needs to ditch the Senate filibuster to pass laws that will benefit the American people. Biggs charged, “I call upon the Senate to put arcane Senate rules aside and adopt laws that will benefit the American people.”

“These bills will most likely languish in the Senate, mostly due to the filibuster. The filibuster is not even in the Constitution,” Biggs added.