The Filibuster Must Go

Republicans are on notice:  Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer has threatened to stonewall any Supreme Court nominee Democrats consider "out of the mainstream."

Mr. Schumer says Democrats will fight "tooth and nail" against any conservative nominee and will consider keeping the late Antonin Scalia's seat open for the next four years. But the only way Democrats stand any chance of challenging the appointment of a nominee is through the continued viability of the filibuster. This is the procedural rule, you may recall, that allows a minority of senators to prevent a full vote absent the consent of sixty members. Mr. Schumer's predecessor, Harry Reid, did much to injure the filibuster, which now imperils the Democratic minority's ability to have any voice for at least the next two years.