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.
I do not believe them.
Former ice cream truck man gone bad.
BBwwhaaaa
Tiptoeing through the tulips?
Totally Fake News.
What a load of bull. Democrat politicians live in the moment. If they cannot get their lefty judge in with 60 votes, they will do it with a majority. The word principle does not exist in the Dem mindset.
Pack the District and Appeals courts too,
Harry Reid first pushed that nuclear option button
Ka Boom
And the Biden Rule kept Garland from coming up for confirmation
Double Ka Boom
Well, they better or they’re going to be very unhappy.
And we’re just getting started.
I think we’ve got at least eight to 16 years of this to go too.
Do you realize that we may have appointed every SCOTUS justice to the bench by 2032, if Trump produces and Pence follows on sticking to his ideals.
Ouch!!!!
Agreed.....
Ed Markey: you can tell when he is lying because his mouth is moving and his hand is in your pocket.
Oh that's right, Boxer retired, giving other people a chance to be noticed at the bottom of the heap.
They were the ones who broke it in the first place.
When NY and CA get 5 Senators each, they will be re-taking the Senate. But as long as 37 states vote red, it is not happening.
Lol, what a comedian!
“Democrats mounted the votes to filibuster Gorsuch, a rarity for Supreme Court picks. “
A rarity? I think it’s the first time ever there was filibuster for SCOTUS.
Malarkey, Markey!
Doesn’t matter if they don’t
GOP never makes a stand
I’ mean we voted in two ultra liberals with nary a peep
So when they take the Senate back, they will give the ‘pubbies a potent weapon against the dems. Oookayyy.
Bullsht!
Delusion runs deep
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