Senate Judiciary Committee member Chris Coons told reporters Wednesday he has not decided whether to support an up or down vote for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, backtracking on earlier media reports that he would not block President Trump’s pick for the high court.
Coons, D-Del., said the media reports are inaccurate and he has only committed to backing a hearing and Judiciary Committee vote for Gorsuch, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.
“I think we should proceed with a thorough hearing,” Coons told reporters Wednesday. “Let the American people better understand Judge Gorsuch’s views and then let the committee vote.”
Republicans will need the support of eight Democrats in order to reach a 60-vote threshold that would prevent a filibuster of Gorsuch.
Coons said he has not made a decision on whether to side with liberal senators, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who said they will oppose Gorsuch because of his past opinions relating to contraception, worker rights and other issues.
“What I’m most concerned about is whether settled law will be respected, whether he is an activist judge who is bent on reversing settled law,” Coons said. “And there are some concerning signals in several areas that he is interested in making a significant shift in settled law.”
