washington democrats monday corral enough support hold senate confirmation vote president donald trump supreme court nominee republicans threaten change senate rule ensure conservative judge neil gorsuch get lifetime job senate judiciary committee vote 11-9 along party line send gorsuch nomination full senate set political showdown week trump fellow republicans opposition democrats appear likely trigger change long-standing senate rule allow confirmation democrats portray gorsuch conservative outside judicial mainstream amass 42 senators support procedural hurdle call filibuster require super-majority 60 vote republican-led 100-seat senate allow confirmation vote even panel vote committee member christopher coons put democrats threshold 41st senator back filibuster bid graphic senators stand bid block gorsuch vote tmsnrt.rs/2ov6ko0 senate republican leaders insist gorsuch confirm senate floor friday regardless democrats republicans hold 52-48 senate majority face filibuster senate majority leader mitch mcconnell would expect force confirmation vote senate change rule allow simple majority vote confirmation supreme court justices move sometimes call nuclear option trump favor senate democratic leader chuck schumer lead filibuster effort say mcconnell vision courage see past impasse go nuclear suggest trump replace gorsuch new consensus nominee choose meet democrats senate confirmation gorsuch 49 would restore nine-seat high court conservative majority fulfil one trump top promise 2016 presidential campaign trump january nominate gorsuch conservative appeal court judge colorado could expect serve decades senate floor mcconnell call democratic strategy new low say principled reason oppose judge well qualify widely respect gorsuch explicitly say would use nuclear option several republicans say would happen white house spokesman sean spic say decision would mcconnell republican senator john mccain long-time opponent senate rule change tell reporters would support move judiciary committee republicans blast democrats pursue call first partisan filibuster supreme court nominee successful bipartisan filibuster five decades ago democratic president nominee say would come naught threaten rule change senate republicans last year refuse even consider democratic former president barack obama nomination appellate judge merrick garland fill high court vacancy trump select gorsuch fill democrats include still furious way judge merrick garland treat last year traditions principles define senate crumble poise hasten destruction week coons say gorsuch nominate fill vacancy create february 2016 death conservative justice antonin scalia democrats accuse gorsuch insufficiently independent trump evade question key supreme court rule past include abortion political spend favor corporate interest ordinary americans republicans control white house congress first time decade inability senate republicans coax enough democratic support avoid nuclear option reflect intense partisan divide washington trump administration failure win cooperation opposition party senators dianne feinstein committee top democrat panel member patrick leahy along fellow democrats mark warner ben cardin also announce filibuster support monday spic accuse democrats partisan obstruction set dangerous precedent tell brief obviously disappoint overwhelm majority still play politics nation high court actual confirmation vote would simple majority filibuster stop date four democrats oppose filibuster four short eight republicans need failure republican healthcare legislation congress court block president ban people several muslim-majority nations enter unite state win confirmation gorsuch take even importance trump 60-vote super-majority threshold give minority party power hold majority party decades force senate try achieve bipartisanship legislation presidential appointments republican committee member lindsey graham say change rule look like go hate really really do gorsuch opponents would fight senate rule change democrats 2013 change senate rule limit filibuster republicans use procedure obama appeal court nominees senate lead democrats bar filibuster executive branch nominees federal judge aside supreme court justices even republicans change rule legislation oppose appointments would still need meet 60-vote threshold democrats amass support force showdown trump supreme court pick