Delaware Sen. Chris Coons said Monday he would vote against advancing Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, setting up the likelihood that Senate Republicans would change the rules to get Gorsuch confirmed.
By most counts, that made Coons the 41st Senate Democrat to say he would not support Gorsuch when 60 votes are needed to end debate. Assuming Democrats don’t switch their votes, that means the GOP would have to change the rules on their own to allow an end to debate, or cloture, with just a simple majority.
“I have decided that I will not support Judge Gorsuch’s nomination in the Judiciary Committee today,” Coons said during Judiciary Committee hearings ahead of Monday’s committee vote on Gorsuch’s nomination.
Coons said he agreed with many of Gorsuch’s decisions, appreciated the judge’s writing, and admired Gorsuch’s parenting, but noted that he believes his role involved more than reviewing his resume.
In explaining his forthcoming vote against cloture, the Democratic senator said he is not ready to end debate on Gorsuch’s nomination. Coons added that he hoped and prayed the Senate could find a way to move past the gridlock on the Supreme Court vacancy.
