A talkathon. That's what one senator called the 40 straight hours of speeches by members of Congress last week. They were participating in a filibuster. A filibuster is a way for lawmakers to delay a vote by talking nonstop. Senators usually filibuster to prevent the start of a vote that they expect to lose.
This time, Republicans used a filibuster to protest how Democrats have delayed votes on new judges that President George W. Bush wants to appoint to federal appeals courts.
"These people deserve an up or down vote on the Senate floor," said Bush. But Democrats argue that they don't want to vote on judges who aren't qualified. Was it worth two all-nighters? Well, the issue got a lot of attention. But, in the end, Democrats still refused to vote on the judges.