Pence warns Democrats not to block vote on Supreme Court pick

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday warned Democrats not to block a vote on the president's Supreme Court pick, saying such a move would be "unwise" and pledging the Senate would get its say "one way or the other".
President Donald Trump's nominee, Neil Gorsuch, faces a fierce confirmation battle. He needs at least 60 votes from the country's 100 senators to prevent opponents from launching a filibuster – a procedure that essentially prevents a vote through endless debate.
"Make no mistake about it. This would be an unwise and unprecedented act," Pence said of the Democrats' filibuster threat, during a speech in Philadelphia to a local chapter of the Federalist Society, an influential organisation that promotes a conservative view of US law.
"President Trump and I have full confidence that Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed," he said.
"We will work with the Senate leadership to ensure that Judge Gorsuch gets an up or down vote on the Senate floor – one way or the other."
"This seat does not belong to any party or ideology," Pence said, adding that "the Supreme Court belongs to the American people, and the American people deserve a vote on the floor of the United States Senate."
Many Democrats deeply resent last year's refusal by Senate Republican leaders to even consider former president Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill the vacancy.
The seat has remained empty since the death, nearly a year ago, of conservative justice Antonin Scalia.
Supporters of Gorsuch cast the 49-year-old federal judge as an ardent defender of the conservative values championed by the late Republican justice.
Trump's nominee "will pick up where Justice Scalia left off", Pence said.
With only a 52-seat majority in the Senate, Republicans will have to convince at least eight Democrats to cross party lines to vote for Gorsuch, who supports the death penalty and other core right-wing positions.
If support falls short, Trump has urged Senate Republicans to change longstanding rules – using what is referred to as the "nuclear option" – to allow Gorsuch's confirmation by a simple majority of 51 votes, a highly controversial approach.
Pence's campaign for Gorsuch came as Trump attacked another federal judge who blocked the president's controversial immigration ban targeting nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
"The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" Trump tweeted early Saturday from his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida.
US District Judge James Robart of Washington state – an appointee of Republican president George W. Bush – issued a nationwide order blocking Trump's ban late Friday.
By early Saturday, the US government began implementing the judge's order. — AFP