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A quorum of 6,000 was required for ostracism under the Athenian democracy, according to Plutarch; a similar quorum was necessary in the following century for grants of citizenship. [1] A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. [2]
A Committee of the Whole House requires 100 members for a quorum as compared to the House's majority of 218, while only 25 members are required to force a recorded (rather than voice) vote as compared to the typical requirement of one-fifth of the members present.
Under the rules and customs of the Senate, a quorum is always assumed to be present unless a quorum call explicitly demonstrates otherwise. Any senator may request a quorum call by "suggesting the absence of a quorum"; a clerk then calls the roll of the Senate and notes which members are present. In practice, senators almost always request ...
Generally, discussion requires a quorum, usually half of the total number of representatives, before discussion can begin, although there are exceptions. [11] The house may debate and amend the bill; the precise procedures used by the House of Representatives and the Senate differ. A final vote on the bill follows.
But Republican leaders disagree, arguing there isn't currently a tie and that they can reach a quorum on their own since there will be 144 chamber members until the special election in January.
House rules prevent a member from making a point of order that a quorum is not present unless a question is being voted on. The presiding officer does not accept a point of order of no quorum during general debate, or when a question is not before the House. [62] During debates, a member may speak only if called upon by the presiding officer.
A quorum of justices to hear and decide a case is six. If, through recusals or vacancies, fewer than six justices can participate in a case, and a majority of qualified justices determines that the case cannot be heard in the next term, then the decision of the court below is affirmed as if the Court had been equally divided on the case.
For practical purposes, a quorum call is a delaying measure that permits the Senate leadership to work out some difficulty or to await a Senator's arrival. [1] [2] Because of differences in procedure between the two bodies, quorum calls in the House are fairly rare, but they are quite common in the Senate.