Senate Goes Nuclear Over Gorsuch

After Senate Democrats voted against ending debate on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, Senate Republicans voted to change the rules, eliminating the filibuster and clearing the way for Gorsuch’s approval. The rule change – commonly referred to as the “nuclear” option – means just 51 votes are required to approve a nominee to the Supreme Court. In 2013, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada invoked the “nuclear” option for all lower court and executive branch nominees, but left the requirement of a 60-vote majority for U.S. Supreme Court nominees in place. When Democrats this week voted against ending debate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) invoked the rule change, saying, “This will be the first, and last, partisan filibuster of a Supreme Court justice.”