Now Fernan wants to create more courts and change procedural rules that encourage delays.

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Federalism, a divided legislature, temporary investiture of power in the executive and the procedural rules of governance all promote stasis.

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An elaborate arsenal of procedural rules and automatic triggers would be deployed to keep Congress on the straight and narrow.

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Charlotte Powell, a London-based barrister and chair of the Extradition Lawyers' Association, notes that the desire to harmonise procedural rules has outstripped the harmonisation of substantive elements.

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Portugal's role as Union president means that it fixes the procedural rules for the conference, and fine-tunes an agenda in line with general principles agreed to at Helsinki.

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The four-day hearing was concerned with procedural matters, such as the rules for calling witnesses and handling classified evidence.

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Actual talking filibusters have become rare in the Senate, where the rules are typically used in procedural ways to block the other party's agenda.

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The procedural vote that would have allowed the Senate to waive the budget rules and move forward on the amendment failed.

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Although Obama did implement some new lobbying rules upon taking power, he has shown minimal interest in the procedural problems that he highlighted on the campaign trail: the power of interest groups, the role of private money in campaigns, the revolving door between K Street and Capitol Hill and more.

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