WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Filibustering Democrats in the U.S. Senate may get help from party elders as their fight against George Bush's conservative judicial nominees escalates.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., is preparing to take a more active role in defense of the filibuster, Roll Call said Monday, and is threatening to become a major presence on the Senate floor if Republicans alter Senate rules to prevent judicial nominations from being blocked by a minority of senators.
Senate Republicans have not said when or if they would follow through on threats to exercise the so-called nuclear option, in which the chamber's presiding officer would issue a ruling that filibusters of judicial nominees are unconstitutional.
A former majority leader and his party's top parliamentary expert, Byrd objects to the GOP's assertion he set the tactical precedent for the possible rules change.
A vote to appeal the ruling, which needs only 51 votes to be upheld, could not be blocked. Democrats say such a move would be met with a near termination of other legislative business in the chamber.
