The United States Senate has the authority for meeting in closed session, as described in the Standing Rules of the Senate. Jump to: navigation, search Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Jump to: navigation, search A closed session (formally a session with closed doors) is a parliamentary procedure in the Standing Rules of the United States Senate for discussing matters requiring secrecy. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Standing Rules of the Senate detail the rules of order of the United States Senate. ...

The Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention met in secret. The Senate met in secret until 1794. The Senate’s executive sessions (such as nominations and treaties) were not opened until 1929. Jump to: navigation, search The Continental Congress was the legislature of the Thirteen Colonies and later of the United States from 1774 to 1789, a period that included the American Revolutionary War and the Articles of Confederation. ... ...

Standing Senate Rules XXI, XXIX, and XXXI cover secret sessions for legislative and executive business (nominations and treaties). Rule XXIX calls for Senate consideration of treaties to be conducted in secret unless a majority votes to lift the “injunction of secrecy,” which it usually does. Rule XXXI mandates that all nominations be considered in open session unless the Senate votes to do so in secret. Rule XXI calls for the Senate to close its doors once a motion is made and seconded. The motion is not debatable, and its disposition is made behind closed doors. All of a chamber’s normal rules of debate apply during secret sessions, except during impeachment deliberations in the Senate.

For Senate impeachment proceedings, Rules XX and XXIV of the Senate Rules for Impeachment Trials govern secret deliberations. The Senate has interpreted these rules to require closed deliberations during impeachment trials.

The proceedings of a secret session are not published unless the Senate votes, during the meeting or at a later time, to release them. Then, those portions released are printed in the Congressional Record. If the Senate does not approve release of a secret session transcript, the transcript is stored in the Office of Senate Security and ultimately sent to the National Archives and Records Administration. The proceedings remain sealed until the Senate votes to remove the injunction of secrecy.

These sessions have been held 54 times since 1929. The following is a full list of those sessions, along with their dates and the reasons they were called:

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Jump to: navigation, search 1999(MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Chemical Weapons Convention Opened for signature January 13, 1993 at Paris Entered into force April 29, 1997 Conditions for entry into force Ratification by 50 states and the convening of a Preperatory Commission Parties 170 The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and... Jump to: navigation, search April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1997(MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Most favoured nation (MFN, called normal trade relations in the USA) is a status accorded by one nation to another in international trade. ... 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Alcee Hastings Alcee Lamar Hastings (born September 5, 1936), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 23rd District of Florida (map). ... Jump to: navigation, search March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union signed in Washington, D.C. on December 8, 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. ... Jump to: navigation, search March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 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Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the year 1984. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the year 1984. ... The Contras (Spanish contrarrevolucionario, counter-revolutionary) were the armed opponents of Nicaraguas Sandinista National Liberation Front Government Junta of National Reconstruction following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle and the ending of the Somoza familys 43-year rule. ... Jump to: navigation, search April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1980 (MCMLXXX) is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Jump to: navigation, search September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search This page refers to the year 1979. ... Jump to: navigation, search May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Map of Panama, with Panama canal The Torrijos-Carter Treaties (sometimes referred to in the singular as the Torrijos-Carter Treaty), are a pair of treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D. C. on September 7, 1977, abrogating the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty signed in 1903. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search A neutron bomb is a type of nuclear weapon specifically designed to release a relatively large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 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Jump to: navigation, search July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Jump to: navigation, search Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ... Jump to: navigation, search April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Jump to: navigation, search An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... Jump to: navigation, search June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the year. ... Jump to: navigation, search Halsted L. Ritter (14 July 1868 - 15 October 1957) was a Federal District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida. ... Jump to: navigation, search April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Harold Louderback (30 January 1881 - 11 December 1941) was a United States Federal Judge from California. ... Jump to: navigation, search May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 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See also

• Closed sessions of the United States House of Representatives

Jump to: navigation, search The United States House of Representatives rarely meets in closed session. ...

References

• Amer, Mildred (2004). "Secret Sessions of Congress: A Brief Historical Overview". Retrieved Nov. 5, 2005.
• Amer, Mildred. (Nov. 3, 2005). "Secret Sessions of the House and Senate" Congressional Research Service. 98-718 GOV.
• Dickerson, John (Nov. 1, 2005). "Dirty Harry". Slate.
• Engber, Daniel (Nov. 2, 2005). "The XXI Club". Slate.