Ten years ago, Democrats made a gamble on Neil Gorsuch. They supported President George W. Bush’s nominee to the federal court of appeals, thinking that 38-year-old Caucasian beanpole wouldn’t become a Supreme Court justice anytime soon.

Though clearly a miscalculation, the vote reflects Democrats’ operating procedure on Republican nominations. In short, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer allows those he deems unremarkable to advance while blocking those he believes have high court potential. Sometimes that calculation boils down to race.