News Analysis During the confirmation hearings of Amy Coney Barrett, Republicans used their slim majority to expedite Barrett’s approval through a parliamentary procedure colloquially known as the ‘nuclear option.’ This procedure allows the Senate to override a standing rule, like the rule requiring a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster, by a simple majority. Last October, Republicans used this pathway to achieve Barrett’s confirmation with a simple majority. Now, as they gear up to return from recess, some Democrats are looking to use the same process to push their ‘For the People’ Act (S.1) through the Senate, where they have a slim one-vote majority. However, these 51 votes would not be enough to meet the 60 vote threshold needed to end a filibuster. Because of this, many Democrats see S.1’s way forward as an end to the filibuster—or at least a change to the Senate’s standing rules to make S.1 …