WASHINGTON—In response to the news today that Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, has failed to reach the 60-vote bar for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees, People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker released the following statement:

“Today’s news that Neil Gorsuch has failed to earn enough support to meet the 60-vote bar for Supreme Court justices represents an important rejection of the ideology and extremism that Gorsuch would bring to the bench. Unlike Merrick Garland, who was denied the courtesy of even a hearing last year, Judge Gorsuch has received the full and fair consideration of the Senate. He has been evaluated according to his own merits, and by those merits he has been found to be unacceptable.

“If Gorsuch can’t be confirmed by the Senate, it’s up to President Donald Trump to find a nominee who can be. As Senator Schumer and other Democratic leaders have long made clear, now is the time for meaningful consultation to identify a mainstream nominee that’s broadly acceptable to both parties—that’s what the 60-vote bar is intended to achieve.

“Unfortunately, Senator McConnell seems intent on breaking the rules in order to force this nominee onto our nation’s highest court. Make no mistake: If Republicans choose to pursue the nuclear option and blow up the Senate in order to put an extreme nominee on the bench, the fault is entirely their own. Senators who care about the integrity of the institution should refuse to countenance that kind of destructive partisanship. The choice is in their hands.”

PFAW spokespeople are available for TV, radio, and print interviews on Gorsuch and progressive efforts to stop him. To schedule one, please email [email protected].

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

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