Within the set of presidential powers, set in federal legislative history, is the right to appoint Supreme Court Justices. With the death of Antonin Scalia, a seat opened up last year. President Donald Trump has selected Judge Neil Gorsuch, a Republican, to fill the open spot.
Following his January nomination, Gorsuch will need to go through a process to be confirmed by the Senate. The United States Senate includes two members from each state, for a total of 100 members, who are elected by the population as the 17th Amendment requires. It is the job of these legislators to hold a series of hearings and eventually vote on presidential appointments. Here is what you should know about the nomination of Judge Gorsuch.
What is Gorsuch’s background?
According to Politico, Gorsuch attended Columbia, Harvard, and Oxford Universities and actually graduated from Harvard Law School with former President Barack Obama. He held different jobs in the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice before starting his career at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado. He has been serving in that position up until now.
What do Republicans think about him?
Congressional Republicans are highly in favor of Gorsuch because he has shown preference of state rules and local court decisions over federal regulations. Politico reports that he has proved this thinking in cases involving issues such as immigration. He also ruled in favor of religious non-profits denying contraception coverage for their employees under Obamacare and has spoken out in opposition of doctor-assisted suicide.
What do Democrats think about him?
Senate Democrats have shown general opposition to Gorsuch during the confirmation process. CNN reports that the Democrats are planning to filibuster his nomination. This basically means that they will continue to debate and delay an actual vote. In recent federal legislative history, this method is quite common. In order to end this delay, Republicans would need eight Democrats to agree to vote in favor of Gorsuch. Two have agreed so far.
What happens now?As Democrats continue to delay the vote, Gorsuch’s fate is unclear. According to a report by NBC, Republicans could resort to changing Senate rules altogether, eliminating the option to filibuster a Supreme Court nomination vote. This would basically make it so the majority party would control the vote for these nominees in the future.
At this time, 30 Democrats have still not revealed how they will be voting, NBC reports. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on April 3, setting up this moment in current legislative news and federal legislative history.