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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Does the Senate parliamentarian serve at the pleasure of the Senate majority leader?

Friday, March 5, 2021

By Eric Smith

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YES

According to Senate rules, parliamentarians serve at the pleasure of the body’s majority leader. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough was appointed in 2012 by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. There have only been six parliamentarians since the position was created in 1935.

While uncommon, a parliamentarian has been fired before. In 2001, Majority Leader Trent Lott dismissed Senate Parliamentarian Robert Dove. Republicans were angry that Dove, a Republican appointee, disallowed spending measures for violating Senate rules.

The House and Senate each have a parliamentarian to assist with questions about the “meaning and application of that chamber’s legislative rules, precedents and practices.” The presiding officer usually accepts the parliamentarian‘s interpretations, but they aren’t binding. A majority vote by the Senate can override the rulings.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Congressional Research Service: The Office of the Parliamentarian in the House and Senate

National Constitution Center: Who is the Senate Parliamentarian and what does she do?

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.