Perhaps the most famous example of filibuster in popular culture is that which was engaged in by Jimmy Stewart’s character in the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In the film, Senator Jefferson Smith (Stewart) filibusters in an effort to stand up to the corrupt Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), Smith’s former mentor.

One example was a bill first introduced in 1942 that targeted the poll tax. These taxes, which required citizens to pay a tax before they could vote, disproportionately impacted Black registered voters. Southern senators killed the bill by filibuster, and continued to block passage of anti-poll tax bills throughout the rest of the decade.