Senate showdown looms on Supreme Court pick as Democrats oppose

WASHINGTON (AP) — A showdown over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and the Senate’s rules loomed as the number of Democrats opposing Judge Neil Gorsuch grew to more than 20 on Tuesday.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, and Michigan’s two lawmakers, Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, announced that they would vote against Gorsuch. Republicans, who hold the majority in the Senate, are intent on getting Trump’s choice confirmed before Congress’ two-week break in mid-April.

“Judge Gorsuch’s hearing reinforced my fear that he would favor corporations and special interest elites at the expense of American workers and families,” Durbin, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said of the four-day confirmation hearing last week. He announced his opposition on the Senate floor.

Statements from Stabenow and Peters echoed that criticism.

“Whether it is ruling against children who want an equal opportunity to get a quality education or women who want access to health care, Judge Gorsuch often fails to take into account the human face behind each case,” Peters said.

Republicans defended Gorsuch, with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, calling him an “incredibly well-qualified judge” and urging Democrats to allow an up-or-down vote.

The opposition raises the prospects of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., taking the politically charged step of changing Senate rules to get Gorsuch confirmed. Republicans hold a 52-48 majority, and it takes 60 votes to clear parliamentary hurdles and set up an up-or-down vote on a Supreme Court nominee.

McConnell could push for a rule change to win approval of the nominee with a simple majority in the 100-member Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would oppose the nominee and lead Democrats in filibustering the choice.

In 2013, Democrats were in the majority under the leadership of Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada and upset about the blockage of President Barack Obama’s nominees to a powerful appellate court. The Democrats pushed through a rules change lowering the vote threshold on all nominees except for the Supreme Court from 60 to a simple majority.

At the time, McConnell warned Democrats the strategy would backfire: “I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, you will regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.”