Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley has finally brought his 15+ hour rant opposing the Trump administration's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch to a close, Fox News reports. Sources say the senator started speaking a bit before 7pm on Tuesday night with the mission of continuing for as long as he could. His goal was simple: oppose Neil Gorsuch at all costs, and, if the judge's confirmation couldn't be stopped, delay it. Reports indicate Merkley spoke while standing in front of the Constitution's preamble the entire time.
He blasted Gorsuch for being too "far right," adding that the 26 year veteran of the law is too much "like his idol and role model Antonin Scalia and other far-right conservatives on the Supreme Court." He continued that the "unbalanced approach might make for interesting reading (but) the courtroom is not an academic paper."
Gorsuch's Supreme Court confirmation is almost inevitable
Some may remember Scalia, who passed away last year, as the bellicose justice who was stagnantly opposed to affirmative action and almost any other policy that favored minorities or the underprivileged over others. His rigid views led Jewish author J.J. Goldberg to coin him "the intellectual anchor of the court's conservative majority."
Reports indicate that for all of Merkley's points, pleads, and accusations, the senator did little more than add drama to a decision that has practically already been made.
The Senate is set to vote on Gorsuch's appointment on Thursday, March 6, 2017, and, while Democrats are adamant that they will try to block the Colorado native's confirmation at all costs, Republicans are urging them to accept the inevitable and move on. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky's staunchly republican congressman, says the Democrats "seem determined to head into the abyss," urging them to "reconsider." Sources claim McConnell has confirmed that he is lowering the minimum threshold of votes needed to approve Supreme Court nominees from 60 votes to a simple majority.
With 52 Republicans in the Senate, it's therefore numerically impossible for the Democrats to have their way, as long as everyone votes along party lines.
Merkley supporters are holding on to hope
Nonetheless, Merkley's incredibly long speech was applauded by many supporters, including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
She tweeted "Go, @SenJeffMerkley, Go! #StopGorsuch #HoldtheFloor" about two hours into the Oregon senator's dialogue.
The entirety of Merkley's speech was recorded by his staff, as reported by Fox News.
