At least 41 Democratic senators have publicly committed to filibuster President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, leading to a probable showdown with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The filibuster might seem like payback for Democrats after Republicans refused to consider the nomination of then-President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, […] Read more »
Change the nominee
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) could not be more right: “When a nominee doesn’t get 60 votes, you shouldn’t change the rules, you should change the nominee,” he said. A dozen years ago, in this space, I argued, “It should take 60 votes to put someone on the Supreme […] Read more »
Partisanship increasingly colors perceptions of SCOTUS nominees
A different kind of March Madness descends upon Washington today as the Senate Judiciary Committee begins Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearings. Gorsuch appears to have the votes to be confirmed as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court. The verdict on Judge Gorsuch in the court of public opinion […] Read more »
C-SPAN/PSB Supreme Court Survey
In conjunction with Sunshine Week and timed for the opening of confirmation hearings for President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court, the public affairs TV network C-SPAN asked strategic research firm PSB to examine public attitudes on several topics related to the Court. Here are some of the findings: CONT. […] Read more »
The American Identity: Points of Pride, Conflicting Views, and a Distinct Culture
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order last month on immigration and refugees, Americans are supportive of the country’s diversity and generally favorable toward immigration. However, according to a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans are less favorable toward refugees and […] Read more »
Large Majorities See Checks and Balances, Right to Protest as Essential for Democracy
Large majorities of the public, Republicans and Democrats alike, say open and fair elections and a system of governmental checks and balances are essential to maintaining a strong democracy in the United States. However, there is less consensus about the importance of other aspects of a strong democracy – notably, […] Read more »