Statement from Demos President Heather McGhee on Cloture Vote on Judge Gorsuch’s Nomination to the Supreme Court

April 6, 2017 (New York, NY) –Heather McGhee, President of Demos, released the following statement after the Senate refused to invoke cloture on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court:

“The next Supreme Court justice will have a pivotal role in ensuring our Constitution protects the rights and voices of all Americans.  Judge Gorsuch has the potential to be the deciding vote to destroy the few remaining safeguards against big money dominating our politics completely. 

“We have maintained throughout his nomination that Judge Gorsuch’s record and refusal to answer critical questions during his hearing require the Senate to reject his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, Gorsuch failed to win enough support for his nomination to move forward.

“If Judge Gorsuch cannot garner 60 votes, the proper course is to change the nominee, not the Senate rules.

“This nomination comes during a time of grave uncertainty over the legitimacy of Trump’s administration. This should have been enough for the Senate to halt this critical process in order to ensure that our democracy has not been compromised, and the Senate should certainly not ‘go nuclear’ to push through a lifetime appointment to our highest court.”

Heather McGhee’s full Senate Judiciary Committee testimony submitted for the record can be found here. For Demos’ report: Court Cash, which quantified for the first time the direct impact of four of the Supreme Court’s significant money in politics cases on 2016 election spending, see here. For Demos’ fact sheet on Judge Gorsuch’s record on money in politics, please see here. For an FAQ on the role of the Supreme Court and money in politics, here. For a racial equity analysis of money in politics and the Supreme Court, here.

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