Skip to content
Apply
Stories

What’s the filibuster? The controversial history, explained.

People in this story

From Aaron Burr to Joe Manchin, this complex legislative tool has changed the political landscape and created something not found in any other democracy in the world. Nick Beauchamp, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern, breaks down how the filibuster evolved from an obscure rule to a tool used to grind Senate deliberations to a halt.

Continue watching at News@Northeastern.

More Stories

09/09/26 - BOSTON, MA. - Leonie Ruehe, who studies political science and international affairs, poses for a photo on Sept. 9, 2026. Ruehe recently completed their co-op at a think tank in Greece. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

This student’s co-op in Greece provided lessons in modern slavery

10.26.2026

Donald Trump’s Midwest Approval Rating Is a Warning Sign for GOP

10.26.2026
01/10/24 - BURLINGTON, MA. - Stock photography of the Colosseum which is operated by the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (W-IoT) at Northeastern University, and housed at the Northeastern Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on Jan. 10, 2024. The Colosseum at is the world's largest RF emulator with 256 programmable software radios which enables academic, government, and industry researchers to perform scalable and repeatable experimentation in wireless systems in a large-scale emulation environment. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Democrats, Republicans support government intervention to train workforce on AI tools, Northeastern University survey finds

10.26.26
Northeastern Global News