#Nuclear option stayfocused full#

President Trump, meanwhile, has urged McConnell to 'go nuclear' if necessary, but who knows whether he's saying this because he actually wants the Senate rules amended or just because he really likes playing with G.I.

#Nuclear option stayfocused full#

On Monday, the committee will decide whether to recommend him to the full Senate for an up-or-down confirmation vote.

Gorsuch's hearings ended last week, and sure enough, he managed to get through them without dropping a racial slur, expressing enthusiasm for Sharia law, or otherwise doing something dumb that would torpedo his nomination. How does a Supreme Court justice get confirmed?Īfter the President announces his pick, the nominee goes through a series of interminably boring hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he or she answers senators' probing questions by saying as little as possible in a hypercautious effort to not screw up a cushy gig that would allow them to wear bathrobes for the rest of their careers. You might have a few questions as to what this means, both for Gorsuch and also for the future our democracy. As the Senate prepares to decide on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, it appears increasingly likely that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have to invoke the 'nuclear option' in order to secure Gorsuch's confirmation. Trump lives in the White House and has the keys to the football. The good news, such as it is these days, is that that phrase does not mean what you might assume it means given that one Donald J.

The bad news is that right now, as we speak, this country is closer to the much-discussed, long-dreaded deployment of the 'nuclear option' than ever before.