Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) has issued a statement declaring he is joining two other Democrats who will cast a yes vote or federal judge Neil Gorsuch to be seated on the U.S. Supreme Court, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Sens. Joe Manchen (D-WV) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) have also said they will vote to confirm Gorsuch’s nomination.
“After meeting with Judge Gorsuch, conducting a thorough review of his record, and closely following his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I believe that he is a qualified jurist who will base his decisions on his understanding of the law and is well-respected among his peers,” Donnelly said in the statement.
Five more Democrats need to cast a yes vote to reach the 60 needed to break a potential filibuster attempt to confirm Gorsuch and 35 Democrats have said they will vote no.
If the 60 votes aren’t reached, the GOP could decide to change the Senate rules on Supreme Court nominations to a simple majority or 51 votes.
Donnelly also said in that statement that he supports keeping the current 60-vote threshold for High Court nominees, Reuters reported.
Gorsuch is President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court nomination for a seat left vacant by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
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