As the Senate Judiciary Committee meets to consider the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats have made clear their intention to attempt an unprecedented partisan filibuster. And their obstructionism continues to be roundly criticized by newspapers across the country.
The Kansas City Star: Editorial: Democrats, don’t seek revenge by filibustering Neil Gorsuch – “Don’t do it, Democrats. Don’t give in to mobocracy by trying to delay a vote on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch this week… Still, the federal appeals court judge from Denver is qualified, and the only real reason to vote against him is to make a point. And in the process continue the dysfunction that Democrats were so down on back when the GOP was the ‘party of No.’”
__Reading Eagle: Editorial: Gorsuch deserves Senate confirmation__ – “The bar association’s review stands in stark contrast with the results-oriented reviews that have led Schumer and, unfortunately, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. to decide to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination. It is an odd time to pick an all-out fight, given that the seat to be filled is that of the conservative Scalia, and the nominee is one of such noted ability and character. Democratic senators risk doing the nation and the institution they serve great harm by filibustering, or even opposing, this nominee.”
__Richmond Times-Dispatch: Editorial: Tim Kaine smears Neil Gorsuch__ – “It’s bad enough that Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine has decided to oppose the nomination of Neil Gorsuch, a superbly qualified candidate for the Supreme Court. But it’s even worse to smear the man in the process. Kaine’s statement announcing his decision focuses on a single issue: reproductive rights. In it, he says Gorsuch “has cavalierly referred to contraceptive use as ‘the wrongdoing of others.’ ” Then he repeats the point, claiming that Gorsuch has framed “women making their own health decisions as ‘the wrongdoing of others.’ ”This is simply false. And Kaine should know it.”
USA Today: Gorsuch merits confirmation: Our view – “Gorsuch’s credentials are impeccable: Columbia, Harvard, Oxford, federal and Supreme Court clerkships and a decade on the federal appeals bench. He received a ‘well-qualified’ rating, the highest available, from the American Bar Association. On principles and independence, he has gotten an array of glowing references, including from some Democrats and liberals. Extensive vetting has unearthed no hint of personal scandal.”
__The Daily Sentinel: Editorial: Democrats should confirm Gorsuch__ – “Even if Judge Gorsuch is a carbon copy of Scalia, as some of his critics contend, he would simply put the court back to where it was in terms of balance. He clearly passes the character and competence tests, so Democrats risk perpetuating confirmation wars over a nominee with extensive qualifications…This all boils down to politics. Left-wing activists within the Democratic Party are demanding a united front on rejecting Gorsuch as a payback for the Garland gambit. Any Dems who don’t play along face the prospect of a primary challenge at election time.”
__The Gazette: Editorial: Sen. Bennet should stand up for Gorsuch__ – “First the good news. Two Democratic senators set aside partisanship last week and announced their support for Boulder resident Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here’s the bad news. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., was not among them. We lament that our state’s senior senator lost the opportunity to become the first Democrat to break with the pack and lead the charge for nominating a man who could be the most promising Supreme Court justice in anyone’s lifetime.”