Posted on 04/10/2017 4:33:05 PM PDT by Kaslin
Markey Claims That Dems will Restore Filibuster for Supreme Court Nominees
Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) claimed Monday that Democrats will restore the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees once his party retakes the majority in the Senate.
"When the Democrats return to the majority and capture the presidency, which we will," Markey said, "that day is going to arrive [and] we will restore the 60-vote margin."
"We will ensure that for the Supreme Court, there is that special margin that any candidate has to reach because that is essential to ensuring that our country has a confidence in those people who are nominated," Markey added. "Rather than just someone who passes a litmus test."
MSNBC host Katy Tur asked Markey earlier in the interview whether he and Democrats had regrets about opposing President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, who was sworn in on Monday. Democrats mounted the votes to filibuster Gorsuch, a rarity for Supreme Court picks.
Markey castigated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and Senate Republicans for invoking the so-called "nuclear option" by lowering the cloture threshold from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51. He called their move "unprecedented" and said that they "destroyed" the Supreme Court nomination process.
The Senate then confirmed Gorsuch last Friday with a 54-45 vote in favor of his nomination, and he was officially sworn in on Monday.
This tactic was used by Senate Republicans to overcome the filibuster effort by Democrats, but it was initiated by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev) and Senate Democrats in 2013 when they controlled the chamber, the Washington Free Beacon reported:
Senate Democrats first employed the nuclear option back in 2013 to advance former President Obama's judicial nominations, although the Supreme Court was not included in the rule change. The move was used to circumvent Republican efforts to filibuster some of Obama's nomineesThree and a half years later, Democrats have threatened to filibuster the nomination of Gorsuch, President Trump's pick for the nation's highest court. The Senate's 52 Republicans threatened to use the nuclear option to break the filibuster and did so on Thursday.
Hey Murky, you shouldn’t lie like that. I understand that when you do, your private parts fall off!
If we can get one or two good decisions on voting integrity the SC will be ours for 10 generations.
The 2A is icing on the cake -- voting is the big deal. Without fraud, elections will go our way.
it did, but now it’s a requirement to be a democrat
well good- then republicans can filibuster every nominee by democrats while they ‘hold power’ and when the republicans take the power back, we can change the rules again and get through all our nominees-
Works for me Markey!
Sure they will! if they get 61 Democrat senators. Of course that is not something that will happen in the next cycle.
Markey malarkey
That's news to me, Reid did it for lower court nominees so the difference is what exactly? ****ing hypocrisy.
Such phony scumbags, it is hard to believe any of them.
Their Obama Care is a disgrace, when 19 million elected to pay a tax rather than be covered, it is time to say it is an abject failure.
Do you want to know what will REALLY happen if the Dems ever regain the WH and Senate?
The Filibuster will be eliminated completely - for ALL appointments AND legislation. They will lie and say the Republicans already did it, and the FakeNews media will nod their heads in agreement.
Liar, liar. Soiled pants on fire.
I have yet to get an answer from them.
They CANT do it till they control the Senate.
They WONT do it till AFTER they guy (dem President) is about to leave office.
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