Senate Democrats followed through on their vow to filibuster President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
In a 55-45 vote, Democrats denied Gorsuch the 60 votes needed to end debate in the Senate on his nomination and proceed with a final confirmation vote.
The New York Times called the vote “a precedent-busting partisan blockade of a selection for the high court.”
Senate Democrats have voted to filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court https://t.co/G5HxRvMHeP
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) April 6, 2017
Four Democrats — Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) — voted with their Republicans to end debate on Gorsuch’s nomination.
Republicans are expected to move forward with Gorsuch’s nomination with a procedure known as the nuclear option, allowing them to bypass the 60-vote threshold and confirm Gorsuch with a simple majority vote.
