Republican Efforts to Confirm Gorsuch

On April 3, Democrats in the Senate gained the votes needed to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning that his nomination will now be considered on the Senate floor. Senate Republicans aim to confirm Gorsuch by the end of the week and are prepared to use the “nuclear” option in order to do so. Attorney Paul Cambria, who has argued cases before the United States Supreme Court, spoke to WBEN about what this option is and what it could mean for Gorsuch’s confirmation. The full interview is available near the end of this recording on the WBEN website.

Democrats plan to filibuster

Mr. Cambria explained to WBEN that “in the Senate they have the filibuster, which means they can get up and give speeches for hours on end. There’s a rule called cloture where they vote to stop that,” he went on, “but you have to have enough votes to stop that.” The nuclear option that is being discussed is “changing the number of votes you need so that they can stop it,” Mr. Cambria explained.

Gorsuch as nominee

Mr. Cambria told WBEN that he believes Gorsuch would be “a good judge” because “he’s not particularly liberal, he’s not particularly conservative.”

“He’s the sort of judge you want,” Mr. Cambria went on, “but, remember, they’re lifetime appointments, so they can always look like one thing and turn into something else.”

About Paul J. Cambria, Jr.

The chair of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria’s Criminal Defense Trials and Appeals Practice Area, Mr. Cambria advises clients on criminal trials, criminal appeals, constitutional and First Amendment law, zoning and land use, antitrust, and professional licensing defense. He divides his time between the firm’s offices in Buffalo and Los Angeles.