Neil Gorsuch Confirmed for Supreme Court

Following a partisan battle and a year of contention following the death of Anton Scalia, the Senate has confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States. With nearly all Democrats voting against confirmation, the Senate voted along party lines to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court confirmations so Gorsuch could be confirmed with only 54 senators supporting him.

Gorsuch will be sworn in on Monday, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who congratulated the newest Supreme Court justice on Twitter.

Congratulations to Neil #gorsuch - the next Associate Justice of #SCOTUS #GorsuchConfirmed

— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) April 7, 2017

Gorsuch will join the other Supreme Court justices in time to hear the last round of arguments for the term. His addition to the court will prevent an indecisive 4-4 tie in cases. Gorsuch is expected to rule similarly to the late Scalia, who was a staunch conservative vote. In fact, some believe Gorsuch may even be more conservative than Scalia was.

Gorsuch could have important implications for healthcare-related cases that make it to the Supreme Court. His previous court opinions show he believes strongly in the sanctity of life, and previous writings reveal that he is against assisted suicide. He has previously ruled in Burwell v Hobby Lobby that companies should not be required to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives, which is a requirement under the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, led the charge to get Gorsuch confirmed, beginning back in February 2016 when he announced that the Senate would not even meet with any nominee put forward by then-President Barack Obama. McConnell's reasoning was that a president in his final year should not have the ability to place a justice on the Supreme Court and that the American people should have their voices heard in the 2016 presidential election. He praised Gorsuch as a "fantastic addition" to the Supreme Court.

"[Gorsuch] has sterling credentials, an excellent record, and an ideal judicial temperament," McConnell said in a statement. "He has independence of mind and a reputation for fairness. He’s also earned plaudits from so many across the political spectrum."

Democrats, who fought tooth and nail to prevent the confirmation of Gorsuch remained in opposition. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, held the Senate floor for more than 15 hours earlier in the week to protest Gorsuch's nomination, which he called a theft of a Supreme Court seat that belonged to Obama and his pick, Merrick Garland, who is chief judge of the US District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit.

"Gorsuch’s extreme views on worker protections, women’s rights, corporate power, campaign cash and more will have very real and damaging repercussions for the American people for decades to come," Merkley said in a statement. "Today is a very dark day for America.”