George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told me the most obvious change will be the use of oversight by Congress, which "has been frozen in amber for years." On Wednesday morning, "you could already hear the hum of paper shredding and cleaning of hard drives throughout Washington," he said.

Serious questions about how the 110th Congress will handle ethics worry the legal scholar. Will members be banned from accepting travel and vacations? Will they be barred from legislating in areas where they have financial interests? Will there be a rule against the hiring of spouses and children by lobbyists? Only the future will tell, he said.