A pro forma session is a brief meeting of the House or Senate — typically lasting only a few minutes — held during scheduled recesses to prevent the president from making recess appointments. Under the Constitution, the president can fill executive branch vacancies during Senate recesses without Senate confirmation. By holding pro forma sessions every few days, Congress stays technically in session and blocks those appointments. The Supreme Court held in NLRB v. Noel Canning (2014) that a recess of three days or less is insufficient for recess appointments, meaning pro forma sessions held at least every three days effectively prevent them. A secondary use of pro forma sessions is for minority-party members to attempt unanimous consent requests — procedural motions that pass instantly if no member objects, but fail if even one member objects or the presiding officer closes the session before the request is heard.