The Senate Judiciary Committee has unveiled a list of possible Supreme Court nominees, the first step toward the Senate confirming the next president’s picks.
The committee will consider the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, which means President-elect Donald Trump could soon be confirmed as president without the backing of Democrats.
The Senate Judiciary committee unveiled its list of potential Supreme Court justices, with the most likely to be confirmed by the full Senate.
Democrats are not expected to be as eager to take Gorsuch’s nomination, as they were for Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court.
But if Democrats were to retake the Senate and the White House, it’s possible that Democrats could try to block Gorsuch’s confirmation by filibustering, as Republicans have done in the past.
The committee has already confirmed several judicial nominees under President George W. Bush, and the Trump administration is expected to make further nominations for judgeships during the Trump presidency.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly refused to consider nominees from President-Elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet, such as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
Republicans are already planning to try to filibuster any nominee who has a past history of anti-LGBT or anti-women positions, including Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.