While Democrats debate whether or not to filibuster the Neil Gorsuch nomination for Supreme Court, moments ago they delayed for one week an initial committee vote on Gorsuch. As The Hill first reported, Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the committee, said Democrats had requested that the committee's vote on Gorsuch be punted to next week.
"I understand that the minority would like to hold [him] over," Grassley said during the Judiciary Committee's meeting on Monday. Under committee rules any one member can request that a nomination be held the first time it appears on the agenda.
Today's move is not a surprise: Democrats were widely expected to delay the committee's vote until next week. The delay means the committee vote will likely take place on April 3, giving Republicans days to meet their goal of winning Gorsuch's confirmation by the full Senate by the end of that week. The Senate will then go into a recess.
Democrats are demanding a 60-vote threshold for Gorsuch's approval, but it is unclear whether the party has enough votes to support a filibuster against Trump's nominee.
Meanwhile, Republicans have suggested they will change the Senate's rules allowing a filibuster for Supreme Court nominees if Democrats block Gorsuch. The committee held a four-day hearing on Gorsuch's nomination last week, with Trump's nominee appearing before the committee for three days.
Democrats also delayed Rod Rosenstein, nominated to be deputy attorney general, by a week.