Gorsuch completes Senate hearing

Judge+Neil+Gorsuch+goes+through+his+confirmation+hearing+by+the+Senate+Judiciary+Committee+to+see+if+he+will+be+the+next+U.S.+Supreme+Court+Justice+on+March+22%2C+2017+in+Washington%2C+D.C.+Photo+by+Christy+Bowe%2FGlobe+Photos

Judge Neil Gorsuch goes through his confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee to see if he will be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice on March 22, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Christy Bowe/Globe Photos

Story by Ricky Cooks, in-depth editor

The confirmation a U.S. Supreme Court Justice is a rare and involved process: loads of attention and several dozen questions are all thrown towards one person. In this case, it is Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee to hold the distinguished position.

Gorsuch delivered a patriotic speech to the room on Monday, the first day of his Confirmation Hearing, asking for Americans to unite in times of difficulty. He also gave support to judges all across the country, commending their hard work and dedication to the nation.

After the controversial denial of President Obama’s pick for the spot, Merrick Garland, several Senators on the Judiciary Committee immediately shared their disappointment in the decision: Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

On Tuesday, day two of the hearing, Gorsuch was questioned on an array of topics: the Constitution, the legislative branch, bipartisanship, decision-making, precedence, abortion, President Trump and more.

Tuesday’s hearing concluded, lasting over ten hours. This left only Wednesday for the judicial nominee to be questioned.

On the final day of the hearing, partisan politics became apparent in the process, as members of both the Democratic and Republican parties criticized the opposing party in regards to the Supreme Court nomination controversy.

Gorsuch was questioned all the same, however, about his previous rulings and Justice Scalia’s past decisions. The nominee promised several times throughout the hearing that he is an independent, fair judge unbiased by party politics.

Within the next month, the Judiciary Committee will vote on the nomination, deciding on whether or not to send it to the full Senate. The Republicans have a 52-46 advantage over the Democrats, meaning at least 8 Democrats will have to vote for Gorsuch in order for him to be confirmed. Earlier today, however, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer announced that Democrats will filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination to prevent him from being confirmed.