After a very bitter fight between the two parties, the Senate confirmed earlier today Neil Gorsuch as the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court. The final vote was 55 – 45, with three Democrats joining the Republicans to support the nomination. Justice Gorsuch is expected to be officially sworn next Monday morning.
Category: Judiciary
Gorsuch Nomination Moves Forward After Senate Rule Change
The Senate earlier today used the “nuclear” option on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court by eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations. The Senate voted along party lines to change the Senate rules to allow Supreme Court nominations to move forward by a simple majority vote rather than meeting the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
After the rule change, the Senate agreed to proceed on the nomination, setting up a final vote on Gorsuch most likely late Friday.
Votes Scheduled on Supreme Court Nominee This Week
The Senate Judiciary Committee is currently scheduled to officially vote today on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to become the next Supreme Court Justice. The committee is expected to clear the nominee for floor consideration for later this week.
It is unclear at this point how the nomination vote will play out once it reaches the floor. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) has announced his intention to filibuster against the nomination. On the other hand, it is being reported that the Senate Republicans, in response, are considering changing the Senate rules to do away with the filibuster against Supreme Court justices. At the same time, a number of Democrats have indicated that they plan to vote for the nominee.
UW Federal Relations will provide additional updates.
Drama Continues in Congress
With the full House currently scheduled to take up the Obamacare repeal-and-replace healthcare bill later today, as of this writing, it still remains uncertain as to whether the White House and the House Republican leadership have been able to convince enough holdouts to get the legislation across the finish line. Many sources report that negotiations between many of the conservative opponents and the White House and the leadership continued throughout yesterday and last evening. At the same time, there are also reports that many of the concessions which may have been offered to the conservatives may have, in turn, alienated some of the moderates who were uneasy about the underlying legislation.
The situation on this front remains fluid and the Office of Federal Relations continues to monitor the situation.
On the other side of the Capitol today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its questioning of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. The confirmation hearing is expected to wrap up this week, with the committee voting on his nomination in early April.
Also taking place today is the Senate Agriculture Committee’s confirmation hearing for Agriculture Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue, the former governor of Georgia.
Sessions to Recuse Himself from Potential Russia Investigations
Responding to charges that he may have potentially misled Congress during his confirmation hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced March 2 that he will recuse himself from any potential Justice Department investigations into Russian interference in the November presidential election.
During his press conference, he stated that he responded correctly to the hearing question about possible contacts with Russian officials during the campaign and noted that he met with the Russian ambassador and ambassadors from other nations in his capacity as a Senator, not an official from the Trump campaign. At the same time, the Attorney General stated that, based on the advice of senior Justice Department staff, he will recuse himself from any potential DOJ investigations of Russian involvement in the presidential election.