Warner to oppose nomination of Gorsuch to Supreme Court

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today that he intends to vote against cloture and final confirmation for the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, and released the following statement:

“Despite his impressive academic credentials, Judge Gorsuch’s record and evasive responses – even refusing to answer questions regarding his views of cases like Roe v. Wade and Citizens United – do not give me confidence that he possesses a judicial philosophy that will serve the American public well. ‎

“At the same time, I have grave concerns about any attempt to change Senate rules on confirmation of Supreme Court nominees. These changes would have severe and lasting consequences on our Supreme Court, which I believe should remain above the current hyper-partisan environment rather than being shaped by it. I have hoped that bipartisan efforts would result in a better way forward, instead of Republicans threatening to impose the ‘nuclear’ option. But such a threat is not alone reason enough to support a nominee who has not provided the Senate with sufficient assurances regarding his approach and judicial philosophy.  Consequently, I plan to vote against cloture and against his confirmation.”