Why the Motion to Suspend the Rules is Not a Ranking Motion

by Ms. Barbara Proctor, PRP (2025)

National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)

The motion to suspend the rules is a special procedural tool designed to offer flexibility during a meeting. Unlike ranking motions, which determine the order and priority of business, a motion to suspend the rues allows an assembly to temporarily bypass certain procedural constraints to achieve a specific objective.

For example, this motion enables the consideration of an item out of is usual sequence or speeds up the handling of a pressing issue. It essentially grants a temporary waiver from the established rules to better address the immediate needs of the assembly.

Ranking motions, including main motions, subsidiary motions, and privileged motions, affect the sequence and substance of the meeting’s agenda. In contrast, the motion to suspend the rules operates differently. It does not alter the meeting’s content or order, but rather modifies the procedural rules that govern it.

In Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), motions are classified by their function and precedence. Ranking motions influence the flow of business, while the motion to suspend the rules, classified as an incidental motion, focuses on procedural flexibility rather than priority or substance.

Why does this motion require a two-thirds vote to suspend a rule of order, but only a majority vote to suspend a standing rule?

Rules of order are fundamental to ensure that a meeting is conducted in a fair and orderly manner. Temporarily suspending these rules can affect how business is conducted, so a higher threshold, a two-thirds vote, is required to ensure that a suspension has broad support among the members. This helps protect the right of the minority who might be disadvantaged by the temporary suspension.

Standing rules are adopted by the assembly to provide operational guidelines for its own convenience and efficiency. Because they are less integral to the core framework of parliamentary procedure, a standing rule can be suspended by a majority vote, allowing for easier adjustments when needed.

Understanding these two distinctions concerning the rule and implications of the motion to suspend the rules is essential for parliamentarians to assist assemblies navigate procedural flexibility while maintaining orderly, fair, and efficient meetings.