Democratic Senator from California Diane Feinstein has spent more than three decades in the U-S senate. Her tenure has won her praise from allied politicians like former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The lawmakers have defended Senator Feinstein as questions arise surrounding her ability to serve. Despite the backing of some defenders, Senator Feinstein is facing calls to step down from within her own party. Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips and California Representative Ro Khanna have openly called for Feinstein’s resignation.

Senator Feinstein made efforts to slow the calls for her resignation by asking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for a temporary replacement in her role on the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the brouhaha over Senate Feinstein brings more to mind than the current gerontocracy. It calls into question power in the Senate: who has it, how it operates, and how much of a senator’s work output is dependent on the staffers surrounding them. 

We speak with Jerry Goldfeder, professor of Election Law and Director of the Voting Rights and Democracy Project at Fordham Law School, for more.