The U.S. Senate began final debate over the nomination of 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to succeed the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon, and immediately, Democrats attempted to “hold the floor” to prevent a vote.
No high court nominee has ever been the target of a single-party filibuster for purely political reasons.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), as of this writing, held the floor for more than 15 hours, well into Wednesday morning. But a planned vote on cloture on Friday could lead to a historic—and potentially dangerous—”nuclear option” to circumvent the Rules of the Senate that requires 60 votes to end debate.
Click here to watch the debate on C-SPAN.
Dr. James Dobson is urging evangelicals and committed Christians to use their voice. In a statement released Wednesday, he wrote:
There are certain traditions in this country that used to be sacrosanct, one of those being that the president of the United States—and he alone—was afforded the courtesy of nominating judges to sit on the Supreme Court. As long as that nominee was considered credible, a newly elected president’s choice was given deference by members of the Senate. Now, even after an endorsement by the left-leaning American Bar Association, it seems that this tradition too will be tossed aside in the interest of partisan obstructionism.
This is yet another example of how Congress is failing the American people within the context of history and tradition. Judge Gorsuch is a uniquely qualified and brilliant nominee. By promising a filibuster-even as Republicans promise to confirm him one way or the other-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is positioning himself as President Trump’s equal in the nomination process. This flies in the face of our Constitution and the very institutions that serve as the backbone of our democracy.
We simply cannot allow this reckless assault on our traditions, or on the institution of the Supreme Court itself, to go unchecked. It is up to “We the People” to let our senators know that there will be consequences at the voting booth for all those who stand in the way of Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation. To everyone with a voice, now is the time to use it. Call, write, email and protest so that our senators get the message loud and clear and swiftly confirm Judge Gorsuch.
Click here to find the contact information for your senators. {eoa}
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