Senator Dick Durbin says he plans to meet with Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. When asked about the nomination Tuesday, Durbin said two ideas would underpin his meeting.
“First, I want to be consistent. I said every nominee deserves a hearing and a vote. Neil Gorsuch deserves a hearing and a vote. Secondly, we want to pick a person who I hope will be moderate in their approach on the court and not take us to an extreme position. That’s why we have hearings. That’s why we have questions. I have a lot of questions for him.”
Durbin contrasted his readiness to meet with Gorsuch to Republicans’ refusal last year to give a hearing to former President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. Republicans argued against approving a high court nomination from a president’s final year in office.
Durbin says he’s met with every Supreme Court nominee since becoming a senator, and has learned something personal about them each time.