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U.S. senators from Illinois on Neil Gorsuch's nomination

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On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Scalia was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for three decades.[1] President Trump said regarding the nomination,[2]

“

I am proud to announce the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for Justice of the Supreme Court ... This has been the most transparent and most important Supreme Court selection process in the history of our country and I wanted the American people to have a voice in this nomination. Judge Gorsuch has a superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education, and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its text. He will make an incredible Justice as soon as the Senate confirms him. [3]

”

Confirmation hearings on Gorsuch's nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee were held from March 20-23, 2017. On April 3, 2017, voting 11-9 on party lines, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the full U.S. Senate. That same day, Senate Democrats announced that they had a sufficient number of votes to sustain a filibuster against the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. In anticipation of an expected filibuster, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated that he was prepared to restrict the use of filibusters on Supreme Court nominations, referred to as the nuclear option. The Senate voted on April 6, 2017, to end the use of filibusters on all presidential nominations and proceeded to vote to end debate on the Gorsuch nomination. Gorsuch was confirmed on a recorded 54-45 vote of the Senate on Friday, April 7, 2017, and he received his commission on Monday, April 10, 2017.[4]


HIGHLIGHTS
  • President Donald Trump (R) nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court on January 31, 2017.
  • On January 3, 2017, the first day of the 115th Congress, Republicans held a 52-48 majority in the U.S. Senate.
  • Confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee began on March 20, 2017.



    • U.S. senators from Illinois on Neil Gorsuch's nomination

    Tammy Duckworth (D)

    Senator Duckworth issued the following statement on January 31, 2017:[5]

    “

    I take seriously my constitutional responsibility as a United States Senator to evaluate Judge Gorsuch’s qualifications for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. over the coming weeks, I will thoroughly assess his rulings and writings on a range of issues, particularly on civil and disability rights.

    While I will reserve judgment on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination until his confirmation hearing in order to give my decision the diligence it deserves, I am troubled by his judicial record of undermining the federal government’s ability to protect labor and environmental rights, his hostility toward a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices, and by one of his previous ruling that refused to hold law enforcement accountable for excessive force that led to a young man’s death. I am also concerned by several of Judge Gorsuch’s rulings that would deny students with disabilities the right to a quality public education.

    It is vital that the Supreme Court serve as an independent, objective check on the president and Congress. Judge Gorsuch must prove he can fulfill that duty.[3]

    		”

    Dick Durbin (D)

    Senator Durbin released the following statement after meeting with Judge Neil Gorsuch on February 14, 2017:[6]

    “

    At this pivotal time in our history, the Supreme Court must be an independent check on the Executive branch—its Justices must be unafraid to stand up to the President in the name of the Constitution and the rule of law. With a dizzying array of legal and constitutional disputes already haunting this White House, the Senate will not simply hand President Trump the deciding vote on cases that bring his Administration before the Supreme Court. I will insist that President Trump’s nominee be held to the same 60 vote threshold as past nominees have met. [3]

    		”

    Durbin gave the following remarks from the Senate floor on February 2, 2017:[7]

    Durbin discussed the U.S. Supreme Court nomination on February 1, 2017:[8]

    Durbin issued the following statement on January 31, 2017:[9]

    “

    Only 12 days into this administration, we’ve already seen unlawful executive orders blocked by a federal court, and the unprecedented dismissal of an Attorney General for disagreeing with the president. I believe the independence of our judicial system, and especially the Supreme Court, is more critical now than at any time in recent history. That is the context in which I will review this nomination.

    I will meet with Judge Gorsuch and support a hearing and a vote for him — both of which were denied to an eminently qualified nominee presented by President Obama.

    The American people need to know what they can expect from this nominee, and that he will protect our fundamental constitutional rights on issues like voting rights, immigration, privacy, and women’s health. In recent years, the court’s decisions have shifted dramatically toward big money corporate interests at the expense of American workers and small businesses — we need a Court that is on the side of Main Street, not Wall Street.

    This Supreme Court seat does not belong to President Trump or to any political party. It belongs to the American people, and I will work to make sure their voices are heard in this debate. [3]

    		”

    In an interview on Sunday, January 29, with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, Sen. Durbin admitted that he would not rule out using a filibuster on whomever President Trump nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The New York Times, "Justice Antonin Scalia, Who Led a Conservative Renaissance on the Supreme Court, Is Dead at 79," February 13, 2016
    2. ↑ The White House, "President Donald J. Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court," January 31, 2017
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Politico, "Gorsuch confirmation hearing set for March 20," February 16, 2017
    5. ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Tammy Duckworth issues statement on Trump's Supreme Court nominee," January 31, 2017
    6. ↑ Senator Dick Durbin, "Durbin Meets With President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee," February 14, 2017
    7. ↑ YouTube, "President Trump’s First Days Show America Needs An Independent Supreme Court," February 2, 2017
    8. ↑ YouTube, "Senator Dick Durbin: I Don't Know Enough About Neil Gorsuch Yet," February 1, 2017
    9. ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Dick Durbin issues statement on Trump's Supreme Court nominee," January 31, 2017
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