Senate showdown looms on Supreme Court pick as Dems oppose

Republicans would need 60 votes to end a filibuster, but they only hold 52 seats in the chamber so they need some Democratic support to meet that threshold.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters, “We are optimistic they will not be successful in keeping this man from joining the Supreme Court very soon”. “By whatever means necessary”, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah told THE WEEKLY STANDARD on Tuesday.

Schumer’s staunch opposition to President Trump and Senate Republicans has shocked those familiar with his reputation as a pragmatic dealmaker. “The big concern I have is that there be an acknowledgement that we both – if we don’t respect the institution, who is going to?” “And when Republicans and Democrats finally decide to come together and repeal and replace Obamacare, we’ll be ready to get the job done”.

Florida’s Democratic senator intends to vote no on the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch.

“Republicans have never filibustered” a Supreme Court nominee, he said.

The Maine Republican did not rule out voting for the so-called nuclear option, whereby the Senate could change the filibuster rule with a simple majority.

Because of this huge responsibility, I believe Gorsuch, President Trump’s choice for justice, is underplaying the role and the effect Supreme Court justices have on this country.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of NY has indicated that Democrats intend to filibuster Gorsuch, denying him the 60 votes needed to advance his nomination.

Schumer said the party’s action, or lack thereof, comes as a result of the Republican Party’s refusal to confirm former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland during the final months of his presidency.

The Democratic opposition raises the prospects of McConnell taking the politically charged step of changing Senate rules to get Gorsuch confirmed.

Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, a member of the Judiciary Committee that held confirmation hearings last week, said he generally opposes filibusters but added that Gorsuch would face such a move if he does not adequately answer written questions.

Clearly, Gorsuch deserves an up-or-down vote from the Senate.

“I am deeply concerned about the politicization of the court, and its recent capture by corporate and special interests”, Murphy said in a statement.

CNN reports Nelson is one of more than ten senators who plan to filibuster the nomination. The umbrella group has been increasingly vocal about their frustration with Senate Democrats, who they say have not fought hard enough against Gorsuch’s nomination.

While McConnell, like Hatch, avoided procedural specifics Tuesday, he has been similarly definitive about Gorsuch getting confirmed, now with a precise timeline.