Senatorial courtesy

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United States Senate
History of the United States Senate
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Politics and procedure
Advice and consent Blue slip Closed session (list) Cloture Committees (list) Executive session Morning business Filibuster Journal Nuclear option Recess appointment Quorum Quorum call Salaries Saxbe fix Seal Holds Senatorial courtesy Standing Rules Traditions Unanimous consent Vice presidential tie-breaking votes
Places
United States Capitol Senate chamber Old Senate Chamber Senate Reception Room Senate office buildings (Dirksen Hart Russell)
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Senatorial courtesy is a long-standing, unwritten, unofficial, and nonbinding constitutional convention in the U.S. describing the tendency of U.S. senators to support a Senate colleague opposing the appointment to federal office of a nominee from that senator's state.^[1] The practice is motivated by a general sense of collegiality among senators and the assumption that a Senate colleague will have the best first-hand knowledge of the personal character and qualifications of a nominee from the senator's own state. It is also viewed as an "important source of political patronage"^[2] for U.S. senators.