The Longest Filibusters In U.S. History
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- "I am standing up to say we have had enough."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has been filibustering on the Senate floor since 11:21 a.m. about Congress not taking action on gun control measures.
Murphy's filibuster comes days after 49 people were gunned down at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando. Omar Mateen legally purchased a handgun and an AR-15-style rifle from a gun shop in Florida owned by a retired NYPD detective. Despite being interviewed by the FBI previously over possible terror ties, Mateen passed a background check.
I am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can. I've had #Enough
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 15, 2016
As Murphy continues taking a stand on the Senate floor, could this filibuster become one of the longest in American history?
Murphy and his colleagues have some competition. Here are some of the longest filibusters in U.S. history:
Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.): The current record for longest filibuster is held by the Sen. Strom Thurmond. The Republican senator from South Carolina spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. During the filibuster, he recited the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, President George Washington's farewell address and other historical documents. According to the Village Voice, Thurmond took steam baths to dehydrate his body for days leading up to the filibuster so he wouldn't have to leave the Senate chamber to use the bathroom.
Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-N.Y.): Sen. Alfonse D'Amato spoke for 23 hours and 30 minutes to stall debate on an important military bill back in 1986. And in 1992, the Republican senator from New York also held another filibuster for more than 15 hours to hold up a pending $27 billion tax bill. He only quit the filibuster after the House of Representatives adjourned for the year.
Sen. Wayne Morse (I-Ore.): The senator from Oregon spoke for 22 hours and 26 minutes to stall debate on the Tidelands Oil bill back in 1953.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): It might not have been considered an official filibuster, but the Republican senator from Texas sure did talk for quite a long time on the Senate floor in September 2013. Cruz talked for more than 21 hours on why President Obama's health care law should be defunded. At one point, he even read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham." His speech was a precursor to the government shutdown that lasted from Oct. 1-16.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- The Republican senator of Kentucky was no fan of the Patriot Act and he spoke 10 1/2 hours on the Senate floor opposing it last May. The former presidential candidate was profusely against the NSA's surveillance of Americans' phone records.