Senate Republicans are now refraining from using the term "nuclear option" to describe the parliamentary technique Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.) might use to end the power of Democrats to block judicial nominees with only 41 votes. Preferred terms now include "constitutional option" and "Byrd option," named after Sen. Robert Byrd (D.-W.Va.), who tried to establish new Senate precedents on filibusters in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1987, when he was Senate majority leader.