Chairman's Athority

[Guest Gale knull]

With a motion made and seconded, and during discussion, a member is given the floor by the chairman. The member makes a motion to Table. Does the chairman have the right to declare that motion out of order?

Also does the chairman have the right to decide what motions are in order and what ones are not? Dilatory, Absurd, and Frivolous motions do not apply in this matter.

[Gary Novosielski]

With a motion made and seconded, and during discussion, a member is given the floor by the chairman. The member makes a motion to Table. Does the chairman have the right to declare that motion out of order?

Also does the chairman have the right to decide what motions are in order and what ones are not? Dilatory, Absurd, and Frivolous motions do not apply in this matter.

Yes, subject to Appeal, he does.

And he was probably correct to rule a motion to Lay on the Table out of order. In normal societies the motion to Lay on the Table is seldom in order.

If the mover's purpose was to postpone the motion to the next meeting, then the proper motion would have been to Postpone to a Definite Time See FAQ 12.

If the mover's purpose was to kill the motion, then there are several options available, but a motion to Lay on the Table is not in order for that purpose. See FAQ 13.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

With a motion made and seconded, and during discussion, a member is given the floor by the chairman.

The member makes a motion to Table.

Dilatory, Absurd, and Frivolous motions do not apply in this matter.

Does the chairman have the right to declare that motion out of order?

What are you asking?

(a.) Do chairmen, in general, have the duty to decide whether any given motion is out order?

The answer is YES.

(b.) Can a chairman, without a reason, without recourse, unilaterally rule a motion as being out of order?

The answer is NO.

(There is always an APPEAL available. Any ruling of "out of order" is to be accompanied by the REASON the motion was not in order.)

(c.) In this given scenario, is the motion To Lay On The Table a motion which happens to be out of order?

The answer is UNKNOWN.

It might have been out of order. It might not have been out of order.

The details may twist the answer 180 degrees.

Also does the chairman have the right to decide what motions are in order and what ones are not?

Yes.

That is the duty of all chairmen.

Q. Who else did you have in mind? - Someone's got to rule on motions.