GOP Nukes Filibuster, Gorsuch Confirmation All But Certain

It’s happened.

The so-called “nuclear option” for Republican senators to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed as new Supreme Court Justice, by eliminating the filibuster has gone through. In 2013, Democrats pulled a similar move to bust through a Republican blockade of President Barack Obama’s cabinet and federal court appointees.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked the 2013 “nuking” on Thursday when asking that Democrats budge on Gorsuch so that he could be confirmed more traditionally. “So let me say this to my Democratic colleagues,” he said. “If you truly cannot support the nomination of this eminently qualified nominee, then at least allow the bipartisan majority of the Senate that supports Gorsuch to take an up-or-down vote. You already deployed the nuclear option in 2013. Don’t trigger it again in 2017.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

[image via screengrab]

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