Bye-Bye, SCOTUS Filibuster! Republicans Change Rules to Advance Gorsuch
Republicans voted to amend Senate procedural rules, effectively erasing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. All fifty-two Republican senators voted to invoke the so-called “nuclear option,” after Democrats managed to whip the 41 votes they needed to successfully obstruct the nomination of Neil Gorsuch. Now, only a simple majority is required to advance Supreme Court nominees through the Senate, starting with Gorsuch. President Trump’s Supreme Court pick is expected to be confirmed on Friday. The threshold for approval had previously been 60 votes—the amount of…