WASHINGTON — Today, Senate Republicans changed the Senate rules in order to approve Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) pulled the so-called nuclear rules trigger Thursday, ending the filibuster rule for Supreme Court nominees after Democrats blocked President Donald Trump’s conservative pick.
Republicans on their own did not have enough votes to end the floor debate on Gorsuch’s nomination — a move known as cloture — under the rule requiring at least 60 votes, reported ABC News. The first Senate vote to end debate on his nomination failed with a vote of 55-45.
Democrats argued that Gorsuch was simply too conservative and they also criticized Republicans for refusing to give a vote to President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, who was denied both a hearing and a vote last year.
Wade Henderson, CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, was quick to condemn McConnell’s action. “Today, the world’s so-called greatest deliberative body has become the latest casualty in the right-wing onslaught on our democracy,” Henderson said. “When it became clear that President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee could not meet the 60-vote threshold and should be replaced with a more consensus choice, Leader McConnell opted for a naked partisan power play by changing the rules in the middle of the game.”
Cristóbal J. Alex, president of the Latino Victory Fund, said he Senat had ignored the American people. “Senate Republicans have chosen to ignore the American people,” said Alex. “Today, they broke the Senate rules and shattered a long-standing tradition just to approve Judge Gorsuch. Now Gorsuch, a darling of extreme right-wing dark money groups, can comfortably prepare himself to advance the Trump agenda from a seat on the highest court in the land. Republicans are relishing this opportunity, and in our efforts to build Latino political power, we cannot afford to stand down in the fight for representation on the ballot and in elected office.”
Gorsuch’s confirmation vote is set for Friday.
