Senate Democrats are on the right track in considering revisions to the U.S. Senate’s filibuster rules rather than elimination of the filibuster altogether. Still, the Senate should make no such procedural reforms unless they are broadly bipartisan.

As our editors have argued, killing the filibuster outright, especially by a party-line vote, is an awful idea. By requiring a 60-vote supermajority in the Senate to pass most ordinary legislation, filibusters ensure minority rights against precipitous action by a bare majority. They also help maintain stability in law while promoting bipartisan consensus-building when the need for change is evident.