Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court confirmation: Democrats delay first vote
The first vote to advance the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has been delayed for a week by Senate Democrats.
The Senate Judiciary Committee announced Monday that it’s holding over the votes until next Monday for Gorsuch to be an associate justice of the high court, Rod Rosenstein to be deputy attorney general and Rachel Brand to serve as associate attorney general.
Senate rules allow any member to hold over the nominee for consideration for one week. Once the committee votes on the Gorsuch nomination, it will then go to the full Senate for consideration. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky said he expects the full Senate to vote on his nomination before lawmakers leave for their two-week recess on Friday, April 7.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, however, announced last Thursday that he was urging Democrats to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination.
“After careful deliberation, I have concluded that I cannot support judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court,” he said on the Senate floor. “His nomination will have a cloture vote. He will have to earn 60 votes for confirmation. My vote will be no, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.”
The Senate currently has 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, warned in an interview with Yahoo News against a filibuster and is arguing that Gorsuch receive an up-or-down vote. Several Senate Democrats including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania have already announced their opposition to his nomination.
Gorsuch sat through several days of confirmation hearings last week as Democrats pressed him about whether he can be an independent judge.
CBS News’ John Nolen contributed to this report.