For any of you youngsters who didn't get the headline Shore Patrol reference...

Who would vote for this clown?

The tactic of holding pro-forma sessions during a Congressional recess is indeed something that has been done by both sides. It is this practice that is a charade that violates the Constitution.

The Constitution gives the President the power to make recess appointments, in order to be able to carry out executive-branch tasks when Congress is out of town and cannot hold hearings to approve appointments. It's also to prevent Congress from simply calling a recess in order to avoid holding hearings. As a result, Congress has taken up the practice of holding a 1-minute session every week or so during a recess, so that they can claim that Congress really isn't out of town, and to keep the President from carrying out recess appointments.

When you read the Congressional record where Congress declares the schedule for pro forma sessions during a break, they very specifically state that no actions are to be taken during any of these scheduled one-minute sessions. I'd love to see a court called to rule on the practice, because it would very easily be torn asunder as the fraudulent charade that it is.