Just minutes after President Trump announced Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee to the Supreme Court seat that Republicans held open until Trump could fill it, several Democratic senators had already announced that they will not support this nominee.
Sens. Sherrod Brown (OH) and Ron Wyden (OR) became the first to publicly oppose Gorsuch on Tuesday night.
That was fast: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announces he'll oppose Neil Gorsuch for SCOTUS. pic.twitter.com/n1BT6Vq5Ky
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 1, 2017
Gorsuch represents a breathtaking retreat from the notion that Americans have fundamental Constitutional rights.
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) February 1, 2017
No senator who believes individual rights are reserved to the people, not the government, can support Gorsuch’s nomination.
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) February 1, 2017
Brown and Wyden are joined by three of their colleagues, Sens. Jeff Merkley (OR), Ed Markey (MA), and Elizabeth Warren (MA).
Not only is this a stolen seat, but @realDonaldTrump has nominated a far right extremist. Unacceptable. https://t.co/9bkw4QODXD pic.twitter.com/iVHDdb2Pn9
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) February 1, 2017
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey already comes out as a no vote on Gorsuch. pic.twitter.com/kE6zY3mtDI
— Astead W. Herndon (@AsteadWH) February 1, 2017
Based on the long and well-established record of Judge Neil Gorsuch, I will oppose his nomination. https://t.co/iYbOWwwGoS
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 1, 2017
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also have strong statements against Gorsuch — although they fall short of outright opposition:
Gorsuch put corps over workers, been hostile toward women’s rights & been an ideolog. Skeptical that he can be a strong, independent Justice
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 1, 2017
Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Dem. on Judiciary Cmte: "The Senate owes the American people a thorough and unsparing examination" of Gorsuch. pic.twitter.com/km79JaWW3d
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 1, 2017
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took a similar approach:
Judge Gorsuch must explain his hostility to women's rights, support of corporations over workers and opposition to campaign finance reform.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 1, 2017
Gorsuch’s record suggests that he will be a very conservative justice, possibly even to the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s right. Gorsuch sided against women whose bosses object to birth control in the Hobby Lobby case, and he invoked an unusual process to try to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.
He also is the judiciary’s leading proponent of weakening a longstanding doctrine that requires judges to defer to most federal regulation action, a top priority of both lobbying groups for big business and the conservative Federalist Society.
This piece has been updated to include additional senators.