Abortion rights, women of color, and LGBTQI+ people are under attack. Pledge to join us in fighting for gender justice.
So McConnell Just Blew Up the Senate
Today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell changed longstanding Senate rules after President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, failed to obtain 60 votes to move to a confirmation vote.
As we’ve noted before, the Senate has historically required 60 votes for Supreme Court nominees because of the importance of the Court and its impact on people’s lives all across the country. When a nominee receives 60 votes, the public can feel some reassurance that the nominee is open-minded, fair, and independent – qualities of the utmost importance in Supreme Court justices.
Judge Gorsuch could not muster 60 votes precisely because of his record on the bench, his writings, and his refusal in testimony to soften his approach to the law, favoring corporations, employers, and other powerful entities at the expense of the individuals who seek the law’s protections. His failure to receive 60 votes clearly shows that Judge Gorsuch is the wrong nominee for the Supreme Court.
Instead of working to find a nominee who could garner the necessary support, McConnell changed the rules to maneuver Gorsuch towards a confirmation vote. That vote will happen tomorrow evening. It’s still not too late to tell your Senators to oppose Judge Gorsuch’s nomination, but it is shameful that 52 Senators today would not stand up for the principle that justices on the Supreme Court should respect core constitutional values of liberty, equality, and justice for all.
