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Neil Gorsuch confirmation hearings: Day 4

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See: Supreme Court vacancy, 2017: An overview

Gorsuch confirmation hearings, day 4: March 23, 2017


Today marked the final day of confirmation hearings on Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the committee heard testimony from a number of outside witnesses speaking both in support of, and in opposition to, Judge Gorsuch's confirmation. As the proceedings transpired, U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled his members' intention to filibuster the nomination.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • March 23, 2017, was the final day of confirmation hearings for Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Gorsuch was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.
  • Outside witnesses spoke in support of, and in opposition to, the nominee.
  • Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled his members' intention to filibuster the nomination.


    • Read more about day one, day two, and day three of Gorsuch's confirmation hearings.

    Witnesses' testimony

    The following witnesses entered testimony into the record regarding the nomination. Testimony is provided by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

    An anticipated filibuster

    U.S Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the intention of his Democratic colleagues to filibuster Judge Gorsuch's nomination on the Senate floor. According to a March 23, 2017, report from The Washington Post,[1]

    “

    Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he will vote no on President Trump’s nominee, and asked other Democrats to join him in blocking an up-or-down vote on Gorsuch. Under Senate rules, it requires 60 votes to overcome such an obstacle. Republicans eager to confirm Gorsuch before their Easter recess begins April 7 have only a 52-senator majority. They have said Gorsuch will be confirmed, even if it means removing the filibuster option and allowing Supreme Court nominees to be confirmed to their lifetime appointments with a simple majority vote. Schumer’s decision was not unexpected, but increased the tension over the battle to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly in February 2016. 'If this nominee cannot earn 60 votes — a bar met by each of President Obama’s nominees, and George Bush’s last two nominees — the answer isn’t to change the rules. It’s to change the nominee,' he said. [2]

    		”

    Next steps

    With the hearings completed, Gorsuch's nomination now proceeds to a committee vote on whether to report the nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation. Section I, Rule 3 of the committee's rules for the 115th United States Congress states, "at the request of any member, or by action of the Chairman, a bill, matter, or nomination on the agenda of the Committee may be held over until the next meeting of the Committee or for one week, whichever occurs later."

    The committee chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), has placed a vote on Gorsuch's nomination on the committee's agenda for Monday, March 27, 2017, however Democratic members exercised a committee rule allowing for a one-week delay. The committee will vote to report Gorsuch's nomination to the full Senate on Monday, April 3, 2017.

    The Senate's last day of business before a scheduled two-week recess is April 7, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has indicated that the Senate will vote on Gorsuch's nomination before the recess. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) indicated that Democrats in the Senate will filibuster the nomination. The U.S. Supreme Court will hold its final, two-week argument sitting of this term beginning on April 17, 2017. If Gorsuch is not confirmed by that date, it is expected that he would join the court for arguments starting in the court's next term which begins on Monday, October 2, 2017.

    Video of day four

    A video of the fourth and final day of Judge Gorsuch's nomination is below (via The New York Times YouTube feed):


    See also

    External links

    1. ↑ The Washington Post, "Schumer: Democrats will filibuster Gorsuch's nomination," March 23, 2017
    2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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