That Democrats in Washington seem serious about reforming the rules in the U.S. Senate is a victory for supporters of "small-d" democracy.  It's also critically important for residents of Central Illinois, whose court system is not functioning properly because of Republican obstruction in the upper chamber.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, which serves 46 counties and major cities like Peoria and Springfield, has only one active judge. Three seats, as the Wonk Room points out, remain vacant. Two of President Obama's nominees for that bench, James Shadid and Sue Myerscough, were unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee. But thanks to Republicans' historic use of the filibuster threat, which requires the majority leader to overcome anonymous objections by filing a cloture motion and then waiting 30 hours to end debate, none have received an up-and-down vote on the Senate floor. Indeed, the Senate has only confirmed President Obama’s district and circuit court nominees at about half the rate of his two predecessors. There just wasn't enough time to break the logjam.

Among the changes they have in mind, some Democrats have hinted that they would like to distinguish judicial and executive branch confirmations from regular legislation in terms of how they can be blocked. A few Republicans might even cross the aisle and support such a reform. We will find out more when lawmakers reconvene next week.