Senate set for dramatic showdown over Trump Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch
Senate set for dramatic showdown over Trump Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch:- The Senate was headed for a dramatic showdown Thursday over President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court as Democrats prepared to filibuster Judge Neil M. Gorsuch and Republicans were set to retaliate by changing Senate rules to advance him toward confirmation.
The stalemate over Gorsuch, a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, has created a toxic political environment in the Senate that now threatens to deepen the already bitter partisanship and persistent gridlock.
Trump’s nomination quickly became a referendum on the new administration.
Republicans worked furiously to secure a legislative victory for Trump’s first 100 days while Democrats dug in to fight a White House under an investigative cloud for its campaign ties to Russia.
Gorsuch had won a few positive endorsements from both sides of the aisle, but opponents voiced concerns about his past conservative rulings and reluctance to answer questions during his confirmation hearings.
Gorsuch would appear to bring a “textualist” approach to the court, strictly following the language of the law, not far from Scalia’s “originalist” view of the Constitution.
Outside groups have pressured senators from both sides.
Democrats defended their use of a filibuster to block Gorsuch, a rare tactic with Supreme Court nominees. They noted that Republicans last year refused to even consider President Obama’s nominee for the vacancy, Judge Merrick Garland, leaving the seat open during the 2016 election year.
Unable to muster the 60 votes needed to end debate and stop the filibuster, Republicans are expected to instead use their majority to muscle through rules changes Thursday to allow Gorsuch’s nomination to advance past the filibuster with a simple majority vote.
The Senate would then be on track to confirm Gorsuch on Friday.
If confirmed, Gorsuch would be expected to quickly be seated and begin hearing cases.
Source:- http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-senate-gorsuch-showdown-20170406-story.html
