CBS News
The history of the filibuster and how it s been used over the years
The most famous filibuster in history was dramatized in the classic Hollywood 1939 movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. That one was fictional, but over the years there have been plenty of real and often ridiculous filibusters.
Cato the Younger gets the earliest historical credit for a filibuster when he tried to thwart Julius Caesar s plans in ancient Rome, CBS This Morning: Saturday co-host Jeff Glor reports.
The U.S. Senate defines a filibuster as an informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions. The word itself sprang from the Dutch word vrijbuiter, meaning pirate or plunderer.