Some Democrats in the U.S. Senate want to adopt their Republican counterparts’ tactics and block President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court.
But Sen. Chris Coons wants to give Judge Neil Gorsuch a full hearing in the U.S. Senate.
Republicans refused to hold a hearing for President Obama’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court last year. And it worked. Judge Merrick Garland never got a hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee.
So Democrats can either give Gorsuch a hearing, and tacitly condone their Republican counterparts’ behavior. Or they can retaliate and be viewed as obstructionists.
Sen. Chris Coons told NPR’s Morning Edition Wednesday he’s chosen to uphold his responsibility as a member of the Senate.
“That means ensuring that Judge Gorsuch gets the full and thorough hearing and vetting in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that DC Circuit Judge Merrick Garland -nominated by Obama nearly a year ago- never received,” he said.
Sen. Chris Coons said it was outrageous and unprecedented for his Republican counterparts to deny a hearing for Obama’s nominee to the court.
But he doesn't think voters will support that tactic with Gorsuch's nomination.
“I think the American people deserve to hear what Judge Gorsuch’s answers are to probing and tough and challenging questions about his views on a wide range of constitutional issues,” he said.
Both Coons and Sen. Tom Carper said they plan to judge Gorsuch on his credentials and record, and won’t block his confirmation strictly out of political retaliation.
And while Coons has no plans to block Trump’s pick for the court, he said he’ll use whatever means possible to block cabinet nominees whose views he deems unconstitutional.
Coons joined Senate Democrats this week to slow the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions.
