[Deschler's Precedents, Volume 3, Chapters 10 - 14]
[Chapter 11. Questions of Privilege]
[A. Introductory]
[Â§ 1. In General]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


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                               CHAPTER 11
 
                         Questions of Privilege
 
                            A. INTRODUCTORY
 
Sec. 1. In General



    The tradition of Anglo-American parliamentary procedure recognizes 
the privileged status of questions related to the honor and security of 
a deliberative body and its members. The House has accorded privileged 
status to such questions by Rule IX,(1) which provides:
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 1. House Rules and Manual Sec. 661 (1973). For pre-1936 rulings on 
        questions of privilege, see 3 Hinds' Precedents Sec. Sec. 2521-
        2725, and 6 Cannon's Precedents Sec. Sec. 553-622.
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        Questions of privilege shall be, first, those affecting the 
    rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, and the 
    integrity of its proceedings; second, the rights, reputation, and 
    conduct of Members, individually, in their representative capacity 
    only; and shall have precedence of all other questions, except 
    motions to adjourn.(2)
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 2. See 3 Hinds' Precedents Sec. 2521, noting that the object of Rule 
        IX was to prevent the loss of time which had theretofore 
        resulted from Members' obtaining the floor for a speech under 
        the pretext of raising a question of privilege.
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    Pursuant to the rule, questions of privilege are divided into two 
classes--the first pertaining to the House collectively, the second 
pertaining to the Members individually. Whenever a question of 
privilege is properly raised on the floor by a Member, the Speaker must 
entertain the question and rule on its admissibility. And the 
disposition of such questions must precede the consideration of any 
other question except the motion to adjourn.(3)
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 3. Precedence of the question, see Sec. 5, infra.
  

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