Existing comment:
The Mansfield-Dirksen Amendment
The Morton jury trial amendment was defeated on May 6 by a vote of 46–45. Senator Richard Russell (D-GA) refused to allow a vote on the bi-partisan Mansfield-Dirksen substitute. On June 5, Bourke Hickenlooper (R-IA) proposed a unanimous consent request that the Senate vote on three amendments before cloture, including one by Senator Thruston Morton (R-KY) that guaranteed jury trials in all criminal contempt cases, except in voting rights. The Senate approved the Morton amendment by a vote of 51–48 on June 9. Hubert Humphrey made a deal with Hickenlooper and three of his allies to substitute it for the Mansfield-Dirksen jury trial amendment in exchange for their cloture votes. |