WHY WAS A COMPROMISE NEEDED?
President Bush renominated controversial judges who had already been opposed during his first term by Democrats using the filibuster, a longtime Senate procedure that a minority employs to block action. Republicans had threatened to invoke the "nuclear option" to ban filibusters against judicial nominees. The deal was the result of months of fierce debate over the right of the Senate minority (now the Democrats) to block controversial nominations for lifetime judicial appointments. It is critically important that the Senate and the President work together in consultation to nominate and confirm future judges. There should hope that the President can nominate mainstream judges and consult with the Senate minority before future nominations.

WHAT THE COMPROMISE SAYS
The compromise encourages the President to consult with members of the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, prior to submitting a judicial nomination to the Senate for its consideration. Republicans agree to ban the use of the "nuclear option," and Democrats agree to end most of their filibusters against Bush's current and future nominations—including his Supreme Court picks—except in "extreme circumstances."

WHAT THE COMPROMISE MEANS
It removes the "nuclear option" as a possibility for now. And preserves the filibuster as an option in "extreme circumstances." An assumption is that just because the compromise's nominations were approved doesn't mean that all similar or future nominations will be approved. Even though the important and long-standing filibuster (used by both parties in the past) was preserved, several of the hotly contested and controversial nominations were approved.

WHO IS THE "GANG OF 14"?
A bipartisan group of senators—seven Democrats and seven Republicans—that helped avert the so-called nuclear option by drafting this now-famous compromise.
Republicans 
   Lincoln Chafee (RI)
   Susan Collins (ME)
   Mike DeWine (OH)
   Lindsey Graham (SC)
   John McCain (AZ)
   Olympia Snowe (ME)
   John Warner (VA)
Democrats
   Robert Byrd (WV)
   Ken Salazar (CO)
   Ben Nelson (NE)
   Mark Pryor (AR)
   Daniel Inouye (HI)
   Mary Landrieu (LA)
   Joseph Lieberman (CT)