Pennsylvania Senators Take Opposite View Of Supreme Court Nominee
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Judge Neil Gorsuch made his first trip to Capitol Hill to meet Republican Majority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.
"We're all thrilled, and looking forward to getting the confirmation process started," said Sen. McConnell.
Gorsuch fulfills President Donald Trump's promise to conservative groups to name a conservative justice.
The president met with some of those groups on Wednesday.
"I appreciate all of the help," Trump told the conservative group leaders, "in deciding who to pick for the United States Supreme Court."
But those credentials could cause trouble in the Senate where the judge needs all 52 Republicans plus eight Democratic senators to win confirmation.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, was cool, saying, "The Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Roberts, has moved far outside the mainstream and has too often favored big corporations at the expense of our workers and middle class families."
"I will thoroughly review Judge Gorsuch's record," said Sen. Casey.
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In contrast, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, said Gorsuch has "sterling credentials."
"The test is not whether we agree with every decision Judge Gorsuch has rendered, but whether Judge Gorsuch understands the proper role of a judge and has the character, intellect, and experience to merit confirmation.," Sen. Toomey said.
Protesters on both sides demonstrated outside the Supreme Court, symbolic of the partisan battles ahead.