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Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch — President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court — will kick off Monday, prompting one high-profile pol to implore Democrats to take the high road during what's sure to be a contentious process.
Democrats should avoid mimicking the obstructionism Republicans applied with former President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland — whose nomination they refused to act on at all — and instead ply Gorsuch with critical questions, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.
"Rather than overplay their hand, Democratic senators should use the confirmation hearing to ask questions that reveal how Gorsuch thinks about legal questions, rather than what he thinks about particular issues," Bloomberg wrote in a column for his eponymous news agency.
"Instead, they should probe his intellect, judgment, record, and approach to stare decisis. (This was the approach that guided me in appointing judges to New York City's courts — never once did I ask, or learn, a candidate's party affiliation or political leaning.)," he added. "Democrats don't need to vote for Gorsuch to vote against a filibuster, and they don't need to agree with his judicial philosophy to vote for his confirmation."
Bloomberg on Gorsuch confirmation: Don't overplay hand, Democrats
Democrats should avoid mimicking the obstructionism Republicans applied with former President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland — whose nomination they refused to act on at all — and instead ply Gorsuch with critical questions, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.
"Rather than overplay their hand, Democratic senators should use the confirmation hearing to ask questions that reveal how Gorsuch thinks about legal questions, rather than what he thinks about particular issues," Bloomberg wrote in a column for his eponymous news agency.
"Instead, they should probe his intellect, judgment, record, and approach to stare decisis. (This was the approach that guided me in appointing judges to New York City's courts — never once did I ask, or learn, a candidate's party affiliation or political leaning.)," he added. "Democrats don't need to vote for Gorsuch to vote against a filibuster, and they don't need to agree with his judicial philosophy to vote for his confirmation."
Bloomberg on Gorsuch confirmation: Don't overplay hand, Democrats
