U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says he won’t be voting in favor of Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s pick for the next justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nelson announced Monday he would join the filibuster against Gorsuch and would also vote no on his confirmation.
“Deciding whether to confirm a president's nominee for the highest court in the land is a responsibility I take very seriously,” Nelson said in a statement. “Over the past few weeks, I have met with Judge Gorsuch, listened to the Judiciary Committee's hearings and reviewed his record with an open mind.”
Nelson said he was apprehensive over some of Gorsuch’s positions on voting and on political donations.
“I have real concerns with his thinking on protecting the right to vote and allowing unlimited money in political campaigns,” he said. “In addition, the judge has consistently sided with corporations over employees, as in the case of a freezing truck driver who, contrary to common sense, Judge Gorsuch would have allowed to be fired for abandoning his disabled rig during extreme weather conditions.”
On Monday, Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee were granted a one-week delay on the vote on Gorsuch’s nomination.
The vote will now be held April 3 at 10 a.m.
Following the Judiciary Committee meeting, the full Senate will then take up Gorsuch’s nomination.
Despite holding a majority in the Senate, Republicans would need at least eight Democratic senators to vote in favor of Gorsuch to reach the 60-vote threshold.
Florida’s other senator, Marco Rubio, will take the opposite route and plans to vote in favor of Gorsuch’s confirmation.
“He is committed to the principles of original intent and judicial restraint,” Rubio wrote in an email to supporters. “This is critical, because too many in the federal judiciary today believe it is appropriate for judges to invent new policies and rights instead of interpreting and defending the Constitution as it is written."
Nelson, on the other hand, said he planned on voting “no” on Gorsuch.
"I will vote no on the motion to invoke cloture and, if that succeeds, I will vote no on his confirmation,” he said.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
