WASHINGTON, D.C. — The battle over the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick carried late into the evening last night, as Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) presided over the body while Democrats filibustered the vote on Judge Neil Gorsuch.
“Tonight, the Democrats’ political theater over the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch continues. It’s disappointing to see a proud tradition of the Senate trampled by the Democrats for the sake of politics, especially over a mainstream nominee as eminently qualified as Judge Gorsuch,” said Strange.
Per Senate rules, Gorsuch only needs 51 votes to become the ninth U.S. Supreme Court Justice. However, Republicans need to invoke cloture – the process of ending a filibuster – to get his nomination to the floor. Since the rules require a super majority of 60 votes for cloture, Republicans have hinted that they would invoke the so-called nuclear option to ensure Gorsuch’s seat on the court. The nuclear option would use the Republicans’ simple majority to change senate rules to lower the vote threshold for ending a filibuster.
The Democrats’ political games kept Strange in the Senate Chamber long past normal hours. But he was a good sport, even cracking a joke or two on twitter about it.
Past my bedtime, but @SenMajLdr told me there needed to be an adult in the room. #Caffeine2Confirm #ConfirmGorsuch https://t.co/ECTyXM9uoC
— Sen Luther Strange (@SenatorStrange) April 5, 2017
“It is a privilege to preside over the Senate during this historic moment, and my Republican colleagues and I are ready to do whatever it takes to uphold the decision of the President, and of the American people.” Strange said in a statement.
The Alabama Senator predicted that Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed to the court by the end of the week.
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