Last week, after much debate and a controversial rule change, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch will fill the seat left vacant by the late Justice Antonin Scalia more than a year ago, when he is sworn into office Monday morning at 11:00 am ET. Watch the ceremony in the player above.
Senate Democrats tried to block Gorsuch’s confirmation, mainly in protest of Republicans’ decision to not even hold a hearing for the original nominee for the position, Judge Merrick Garland, who was selected by President Barack Obama. When Democrats secured enough support to filibuster Gorsuch’s confirmation, which needed 60 votes, Republicans successfully changed the rules so that only a simple majority of 51 votes would be needed to confirm Gorsuch. The GOP then had enough support to push Gorsuch through.
Gorsuch, a graduate of Harvard Law School, had served on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals since 2006.
