Even if Senate Democrats keep Schumer’s promise to prevent the confirmation vote of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court via a filibuster, there is one way the Republicans can still achieve the confirmation. It’s based upon what is known as the nuclear option, which partially utilizes tactics used by Sen. Chuck Schumer when he was the Senate Majority Leader. Here is how it could work, if need be.
With complications mounting for Republican efforts to rally 60 votes to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, you’re going to hear a lot in the next few weeks about the so-called “nuclear option.”
Here’s what it all means:
Let’s start with the mathematics.
There are 52 Republicans in the Senate and 48 senators who caucus with the Democrats.
It only takes a simple majority to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. But it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster on a Supreme Court nominee. Never before has there been a successful filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee.
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