Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 28 March 2017
Dems force 1-week delay on panel vote on Supreme Court pick

MARY CLARE JALONICK announced their opposi-
Associated Press tion have also said they will
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen- try to block the nominee,
ate Democrats on Monday meaning Senate Majority
forced a one-week delay Leader Mitch McConnell,
in a committee vote on R-Ky., will have to hold a
President Donald Trump’s procedural vote requiring
Supreme Court nominee, 60 votes to move forward.
who remains on track for The Senate GOP has a 52-
confirmation with solid Re- 48 majority, meaning Mc-
publican backing. Connell will need support
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R- from at least eight Demo-
Iowa, chairman of the crats or independents.
Judiciary Committee, an- It was unclear whether he
nounced that, as expect- would be able to get the
ed, Democrats have re- 60 votes. If he doesn’t, Mc-
quested a postponement. Connell seems ready to
The committee vote on change Senate rules and
Judge Neil Gorsuch now confirm him with a simple
will be held April 3. majority.
As the committee read- Republicans had hoped
ies to vote, four additional that they’d see some sup-
Democrats said they are port from the 10 Democrats
likely to vote against the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, center, listens as the com- running for re-election in
Denver-based appeals mittee’s ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., right, requests a one week postpone- states won by Trump in the
court judge. Minnesota ment for the panel to vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Monday, March 27, 2017, on presidential election, but
Sen. Al Franken, Florida Capitol Hill in Washington. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah is at left. four of those senators —
Sen. Bill Nelson and Ha- (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Nelson, Pennsylvania Sen.
waii Sen. Mazie Hirono said Bob Casey, Ohio Sen. Sher-
they will vote against Gor- Gorsuch “has an extreme continues to favor powerful York, have announced rod Brown and Wisconsin
such, and Vermont Sen. record on everything from interests over the rights of their opposition to the Den- Sen. Tammy Baldwin —
Patrick Leahy tweeted that corporate accountability average Americans,” Fran- ver-based appeals court have already said they will
he still was undecided but and workers’ rights to wom- ken said in a statement. judge, arguing that Gor- oppose the nominee.
inclined to oppose him. en’s health, and I fear that That means at least 18 such has ruled too often Leahy, however, signaled
Leahy is a senior member as a Supreme Court justice Democrats and indepen- against workers and in fa- that he may be willing to
of the Judiciary panel and he will guarantee that the dents, led by Minority Lead- vor of corporations. break from Schumer and
a former chairman. highest court in the land er Chuck Schumer of New The Democrats who have vote with Republicans on
the procedural vote, while
also signaling in a separate
tweet he’d vote against
Gorsuch in the final, up or
down vote.
“I am never inclined to
filibuster a SCOTUS nom,”
Leahy tweeted. “But I
need to see how Judge
Gorsuch answers my writ-
ten Qs, under oath, before
deciding.”
Several Democrats have
expressed frustration with
the lack of answers Gor-
such gave during two
lengthy days of question-
ing at his confirmation
hearing last week, criticiz-
ing him for declining to
give his personal views on
most issues, including abor-
tion, campaign finance
and others they asked him
about. They also expressed
concerns that he wouldn’t
be an independent voice
from Trump, who nominat-
ed him in January.
“Judicial philosophy is
important, and he just
wouldn’t go there,” Hirono
said in an interview shortly
after she announced her
opposition.q