Chris Coons: “today is a day when many Senators are speaking about Judge Gorsuch and about the Supreme Court. As I think many know, in…”

“today is a day when many Senators are speaking about Judge Gorsuch and about the Supreme Court. As I think many know, in the last week, in the Judiciary Committee hearings and in other settings, I have announced that I will vote against Judge Gorsuch on the final vote tomorrow. I believe I have made my reasons for my opposition clear. I have thoroughly reviewed and considered Judge Gorsuch's record and where he fits within American jurisprudence, and I have no second thoughts about my decision. As I look around at what has just happened on this Senate floor, I am sick with regret. So I rise now to speak in defense of the Senate. The Senate has been hailed by many, including our nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Gorsuch, as the world's greatest deliberative body. Yet today I think one more blow has been struck at that title and reality. The late Senator Robert Byrd, who served in this Chamber for 51 years, would famously remind new Senators that ``in war and in peace, [the Senate] has been the sure refuge and protector of the rights of the states and of a political minority.'' Of course, although Senator Byrd was the longest serving Senator, as a Delawarean, I grew up in the tradition of Senator Joe Biden, a 36- year veteran of this body who left its ranks only to ascend to the Vice Presidency and spend 8 more years as its Presiding Officer.…”