Robert's Rules of Order

Robert's Rules of Order
S. C. Griggs & Company · Public domain · source
Name	Robert's Rules of Order
Author	Henry Martyn Robert
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Parliamentary procedure
Genre	Manual
Publisher	Scott, Foresman and Company
Pub date	1876
Pages	varies
Isbn	varies

Contents

Robert's Rules of Order is a widely used manual of parliamentary procedure formulated in the 19th century by Henry Martyn Robert, a United States Army engineer and officer, intended to standardize deliberative assemblies across civic, fraternal, and nonprofit institutions such as Freemasonry, American Red Cross, and local city councils. The work draws on precedents from assemblies like the United States Congress, the British Parliament, the Continental Congress, and practices in organizations such as the National Education Association, the American Bar Association, and the Boy Scouts of America, and has influenced procedure in groups including the Democratic National Committee, the Republican National Committee, and numerous state legislatures.

History

The manual originated when Henry Martyn Robert, who served at posts including West Point and the United States Military Academy, sought to resolve disorder in meetings after witnessing disruptions similar to those at the Panic of 1873 era public gatherings. The first 1876 edition referenced procedures from bodies such as the Virginia General Assembly, the Massachusetts General Court, the House of Representatives of the Philippines (later), and manuals used by organizations like the Young Men's Christian Association and the Sons of the American Revolution. Subsequent editions expanded through contacts with parliamentary scholars associated with institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and legal authorities connected to the United States Supreme Court, leading to later revisions used by groups including the American Library Association and the United Nations specialized agencies.

The manual establishes principles familiar from assemblies such as the House of Commons, the Senate of Canada, and the Australian Parliament: majority rule tempered by protection of minority rights as practiced in courts like the New York Court of Appeals and doctrines developed in cases heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. It organizes proceedings around elements observed in Constitution of the United States-era conventions and in societies such as the Rotary Club, the Lions Clubs International, and the American Legion. Structure includes orders of business used by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, disciplinary provisions resembling procedures in the International Olympic Committee, and rules for debate reflecting traditions of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the International Court of Justice.

The classification of motions—main motions, subsidiary motions, privileged motions, incidental motions, and motions that bring a question again before the assembly—parallels categories used in legislative bodies like the United States House of Representatives, the Canadian House of Commons, and the German Bundestag. Specific motions such as the motion to adjourn, the motion to lay on the table, and the motion for the previous question echo practices from the Irish Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, and the New Zealand Parliament. Other procedural devices have analogues in legal motions before the United States District Court and in motions used during conventions of organizations like the American Medical Association and the Screen Actors Guild.

Meeting sequence—call to order, reading and approval of minutes, reports of officers, committee reports, unfinished business, new business, and adjournment—mirrors agendas used by bodies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve Board, and municipal bodies like the Los Angeles City Council. Rules for quorum, notice, and order of business align with requirements codified in charters for institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and university senates at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Procedures for handling points of order and appeals are comparable to practices in the European Parliament and disciplinary hearings in institutions like the American Arbitration Association.

Officers defined—presiding officer, secretary, treasurer, sergeant-at-arms—are roles found across organizations including the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and professional bodies like the American Bar Association and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The duties of the presiding officer reflect functions performed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (United States), the Lord Speaker, and chairs in bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Election of officers and filling vacancies follow procedures similar to practices in the National Basketball Association and the Major League Baseball Players Association governance.

Amendment processes—germane amendments, friendly amendments, substitution motions—find analogues in amendment rules used by the United States Senate, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and the Rajya Sabha. Voting methods—voice vote, roll call, ballot, and proxy—are employed by assemblies such as the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, and professional organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Institute of Architects. Thresholds for majorities, two-thirds votes, and special conventions echo requirements found in treaties like the Treaty of Versailles ratification processes and constitutional amendment procedures in countries such as France and Japan.

Critiques have arisen from governance reformers, legal scholars at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Stanford Law School, and civic groups like the League of Women Voters, arguing that the manual can be complex, conservative in practice, and sometimes ill-suited to online meetings exemplified by platforms used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and organizations like Google and Microsoft. Reform movements drawing on models from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights advocacy, the Open Meetings Act debates, and parliamentary innovations in bodies such as the Welsh Parliament and the Scottish Parliament have promoted simplified rules used by associations including the National PTA and newer governance frameworks in startups and technology cooperatives inspired by practices at Bell Labs and Xerox PARC.

Category:Procedural manuals