Posted on 04/03/2017 8:37:14 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, won approval Monday on a party-line vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee, setting the stage for a filibuster showdown on the Senate floor later this week.
At the same meeting, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware announced he would provide the crucial 41st vote need to support the threatened Democratic-led filibuster of Gorsuch.
The committee's 11 Republicans all endorsed Gorsuch as a well-qualified conservative judge whose record "falls well within the mainstream," as committee chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) put it.
All nine Democrats opposed Gorsuch. They faulted the Republican nominee for refusing to answer their questions about his views of the Constitution and about his record as a Justice Department lawyer under President George W. Bush.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said documents showed Gorsuch had defended "enhanced interrogation" techniques, including water boarding, but then said he had no specific recollection of this during his hearings.
The sharp partisan divide was on display during the committee's markup session. For more than four hours, the senators took turns explaining the basis for their votes.
The Republicans said they are amazed and dismayed that the Democrats would not support such a qualified nominee who pledges to follow the law. "If they oppose Neil Gorsuch, they will oppose any nominee of this president," said Sen John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The Democrats said they saw signs Gorsuch will be a conservative activist on the bench, not a neutral judge. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) predicted Gorsuch will help form "a new right-wing gang of five" that protects corporations and big-money interests at the expense of ordinary citizens.
The nomination now moves to the Senate floor, where the minority Democrats have pledged to vote against cutting off the debate. Under the current rules, it takes 60 votes to invoke "cloture"
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Time for GOP to stop trying to play nice with the D,s. They’re deranged anyway. Just vote him in and get it over with. 51 votes is just FINE!
That's exactly right, according to my understanding. The Supreme Court is an inherently conservative component of the Federal Government, by conception. The Left was on the verge of converting it into a ruling council, dispensing Law according to arbitrary tenents.
yeah #### this.
Nuke em.
I don’t know if I hate feinstein, schumer, franken, mccain or linda more.
I know the last two are on our side on this one but generally speaking :)
Time to put a mushroom cloud over the Democrats on Thursday. These people don’t give a damn about anything but getting their power back. OK Mitch. Time to do something right for a change. You got your finger on the nuclear option so use it.
there will be no filabuster because the constitution only requires a majority vote
unless, of course, the GOPe plays the DNC/SorozNazi game AS USUAL in so many things....and permits them to filabuster
in which event, we desperately need to vote the GOPe OUT!
they are wolves in sheeps’ clothing, the Enemy Within, and its totally and completely UNACCEPTABLE
Just watched Judge Napolitano on Stewart Varney’s show on DVR.
Judge Napolitano said Gorsuch will probably be sworn in Friday afternoon/eve, sign documents and immediately have the full authority of an associate Justice of SCOTUS!
When this happens we should all once again thank God that Trump defeated the dreaded hildabest.
Time to go nuclear.
I have not been much for Mitch’s leadership, but he did get this ONE huge issue right and blocked Obie’s supreme!
Let ‘em bring it on, but according to the old rules for fillibusters. No breaks. If you have to take a coffee break, you’ve yielded. If you have to go wee wee, you’ve yielded.
Does Ginsburg like weekends at hunting lodges?
Just employ the "nuclear" option and confirm Gorsuch.
The Democrats have been unmasked for their left wing conspiracy to turn the USA into a totalitarian regime. We must purge the government of these nasty, bigoted people.
Otherwise we are just wasting time and tax dollars.
You describe exactly why they oppose him,because he will uphold the Constitution,period,end of story
... in other News the wobbly senators from Arizona & South Carolina are openly stating their support for repealing the senate filibuster rule. The LA Times should be preparing their readers for the inevitability of Justice Gorsuch.
When you turn the Supreme Court into a para-legislative branch, this is the kind of tooth-and-nail fighting you’re gonna get. Sad but true.
Delaware is a moderate state and O'Donnell was a horrible candidate.
Rep. Mike Castle would have easily beat Chris Coons in the general.
Great example of conservatives snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Forget the Gorsuch vote.
Haul in John Podesta and his email buddy Steve Elmendorf and start extensive questioning on what they mean regarding “networks in the vineyard.”
Dig up Scalia’s body and do an autopsy.
Etc etc etc.... until the Dems agree that approving Gorsuch would be better than going through this.
Wasn’t Scalia cremated?
Oh, Lawd, I think you are right about that.
My point is, make the Democrats squirm. Call up Chelsea and probe what she meant when she said “Now that Scalia is out the way, we can get gun control.”
I will never believe that Scalia wasn’t taken out.
I agree. Scalia was taken out.
Mike Castle was a Democrat in an R jersey.
We have enough of them in the Senate.
Alexander, Corker, Flake, Graham, Hatch, Heller, Hoeven, McCain, Murkowsky and Rubio all voted for the Gang of Amnesty, why would you want to give them another vote?
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