Ed Markey: “I rise to speak in opposition to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S.…”

“I rise to speak in opposition to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Let me begin by making clear my view that the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia was President Obama's to fill. In an act of unprecedented obstructionism that makes a filibuster pale in comparison, Senate Republicans broke with longstanding Senate tradition and refused to hold a vote or even a hearing on President Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. As we now consider President Trump's nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, we cannot ignore or forget this hyperpartisan action. We also cannot ignore how President Trump came to nominate Judge Gorsuch. President Trump went to two of the most partisan, conservative organizations he could find--the Koch brothers-supported Heritage Foundation and the rightwing Federalist Society--and said to them: Who do you want on the Supreme Court? They compiled their dream team of 21 ultraconservative candidates. President Trump looked at the names on that list and asked himself which judge could pass the rightwing litmus tests he had articulated during the campaign. His choice was Judge Neil Gorsuch. On the campaign trail, Candidate Donald Trump made clear that he was pro-life and would appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. In one interview, he was asked about his pro-life position as follows: So, how important is that issue to you now?…”