Senate Republicans’ move to kill the filibuster of Supreme Court nominations will have a lasting impact on future nominees and confirmation fights, court watchers say.

After Senate Democrats completed the first successful partisan filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee on Thursday, the Republican majority invoked the “nuclear option.” By nuking the filibuster, Republicans lowered the vote threshold necessary to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch from 60 votes to 51 votes, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge was confirmed to the high court Friday. The Senate’s action makes it easier for future nominees to earn confirmation along similarly partisan lines.