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TheUnited States Senate observes a number oftraditions, some formal and some informal. Some of the current and former traditions are described below:
From the Senate's earliest days, the new members have observed a ritual of remaining silent during floor debates for a period of time. Depending on the era and the senator, this has ranged from several months to several years. Today, this obsolescent Senate tradition survives only in part—the special attention given to a member's first major address, ormaiden speech.
Beginning in 1904 and continuing every other year until the 1950s, new members ofCongress were given a copy of theJefferson Bible, an edited version of theBible byThomas Jefferson that excluded what he felt were statements about thesupernatural. Until the practice first stopped, copies were provided by theGovernment Printing Office. A private organization, the Libertarian Press, revived the practice in 1997.[1]
The procedural activities of the Senate are guided by theStanding Rules of the Senate. Tradition states that each day is begun with the Chaplain's Daily Prayer, which can be given by the Senate chaplain, or a representative of any faith. Following the prayer, the Senate recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
At the end of a session of Congress it is traditional for senators to read speeches into theCongressional Record praising the efforts of colleagues who will not be returning for the next session.
If a senator dies in office, it is traditional for the Senate to adjourn for a day and forU.S. flags to be flown athalf-staff. A black cloth and a vase filled with white roses are placed over the deceased senator's desk, and a large contingent of senators often travel to the home state of the departed senator to pay their respects.
The Senate holds an annual reading of PresidentGeorge Washington's Farewell Address. This tradition, originally designed to be a morale-boosting gesture during the darkest hours of theAmerican Civil War, began on February 22, 1862.
A number of items located around the Senate chamber are steeped in tradition.
In 1819 new desks were ordered for the senators to replace the original set which was destroyed in the British attack on Washington in theWar of 1812. The Daniel Webster desk[2] has the oldest design as it lacks a 19th-century modification to add extra storage space to the top. WhenDaniel Webster acquired this seat, he pronounced that if his predecessor could organize himself to work with the reduced desk space, so could he. Every subsequent senator who has sat at that desk has also declined to have it improved. In keeping with a 1974 Senate resolution, this desk is assigned to the senior Senator from Webster's birth state,New Hampshire.[3]Jeanne Shaheen has been the occupant of this desk since 2011.
In the early twentieth century, a tradition of senators engraving their own name on the bottom of the desk drawers emerged.
In 1965,California senatorGeorge Murphy began a tradition of keeping a desk near the back of the chamber stocked withcandy. This continues today.[4]
The Senate uses threegavels, each of which has anhourglass shape with no handle. The first gavel, which had been used since at least 1789, cracked during the 1954 Senate session when thenVice PresidentRichard Nixon (acting asPresident of the Senate) used it during a heated debate. Prior to this, an attempt to further prevent damage to the old gavel was done by addingsilver plates to both ends. A replacement gavel made of ivory was presented to the Senate by theRepublic of India and first used on November 17, 1954. In response to widespread awareness of elephant poaching and illegalivory trades, a white marble gavel has been in use since at least 2021.[citation needed]
All three gavels are kept in amahogany box that is carried to the senate floor by apage; at the adjournment of a senate session the gavels are taken to theSergeant at Arms' office for safekeeping.[5]
According to custom,beansoup is available on the Senate dining room menu every day. This tradition, which dates back to the early twentieth century, is variously attributed to a request by SenatorFred Dubois ofIdaho, or, in another version of the story, to SenatorKnute Nelson ofMinnesota. The Dubois includesmashed potatoes and yields five gallons of soup. There are two Senate soup recipes.[6]
Seersucker Thursday is an annual tradition in which senators wear clothing made ofseersucker on National Seersucker Day. This light, cotton-based material is traditional in theSouthern United States.
The tradition was started byRepublican SenatorTrent Lott ofMississippi in 1996 who wanted to "bring a little Southern charm to the Capitol" to remind the Senate of how senators dressed before the advent ofair conditioning in the 1950s. The practice was temporarily suspended in 2012 amid congressional gridlock, but began again in 2014.
While this tradition is an annual event, it is not uncommon to see congressional staffers don seersucker suits on Thursdays throughout the year.
As a body, the Senate tends to afford great deference to any member's objection regarding a nominee to a federal office having geographical ties to that member's state, especially when the objecting member has the same party affiliation as the president. Objections from members of the party in opposition to the president generally are not afforded the same weight. However, theblue slip policy of theJudiciary Committee allows even members of the president's opposition party to block nominees to positions as federaldistrict andappellate courtjudges,U.S. attorneys, andfederal marshals.
Another custom relating to the Senate's power "to advise and consent" is that when a nominee for federal office is a current or former U.S. senator, the nomination generally proceeds towards a vote without first being referred to the relevant committee. Additionally, senators will tend to vote their approval of the nominee, even when the nominee is of the other party, although they are not bound by the custom to do so. Only in exceedingly rare instances has the Senate referred such nominations to committee or rejected the nominee.