Ok, so this part we know for sure:
Maryland's two Democratic senators said Tuesday they will oppose President Donald Trump's nominee to serve on the Supreme Court, but they took a different approach on how far they would go to try to stop his confirmation.
Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen said in separate statements that Judge Neil Gorsuch falls outside of the judicial mainstream and questioned his ability to separate his political and legal views. Van Hollen went further, saying Gorsuch should be held to a 60-vote standard in order to be seated on the court.
Democratic leaders announced last week that they will filibuster Gorsuch. The discussion is now focused on whether Republicans can pull together the 60 votes needed to cut off debate or whether the GOP will attempt a significant rules changes to undermine the filibuster.
An aide to Van Hollen said the senator will support a filibuster if needed to block Gorsuch. Cardin, who has generally supported allowing nominees an up-or-down vote even in cases when he opposes them, is still weighing his decision on the procedure.
Cardin isn’t being clear on the filibuster aspect. Now it is the Daily Caller, a conservative news site, but they are indicating that Cardin isn’t leaning towards a filibuster fight:
“Well you know, I’ve always felt that we should not be filibustering. Having said that, this process started years ago when the Republicans blocked President Obama’s appointments to the district– D.C. Court of Appeals and Circuit Court of Appeals. And it was not the individual. It was just the fact that they weren’t going to let him fill these vacancies which was outrageous.”
Cardin went on to say, “That was an abuse of the powers of the Senate leadership — the Republican leadership. That caused Senator Reid to take action, so that we could act on President Obama’s appointments that the Republicans then blocked and the Supreme Court appointment for a full year,” referencing Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
He added, “That’s unconscionable. I’m for a truce here, but it can’t be one sided, and that’s why I say if we’re going to have a compromise is going to have to be worked out between the two leaders.”
This is no time for a truce. This is a time to act. If you’re a Maryland Kossack, contact Cardin’s offices below and put the pressure on him to filibuster Neil Gorsuch:
Washington/Capitol Hill 509 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Tel: (202) 224-4524 Fax: (202) 224-1651 Baltimore Office 100 S. Charles Street Tower 1, Suite 1710 Baltimore, MD 21201 Tel: (410) 962-4436 Bowie Office 10201 Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, Suite 210 Bowie, MD 20720 Tel: (301) 860-0414 Fax: (301) 860-0416 Cumberland Office 13 Canal Street Room 305 Cumberland, MD 21502 Tel: (301) 777-2957 Fax: (301) 777-2959 Rockville Office 451 Hungerford Drive Suite 230 Rockville, MD 20850 Tel: (301) 762-2974 Fax: (301) 762-2976 Salisbury Office Plaza Gallery Building 212 West Main Street, Suite 301C Salisbury, MD 21801 Tel: (410) 546-4250 Fax: (410) 546-4252 Southern Maryland Office 10201 Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, Suite 210 Bowie, MD 20720 Tel: (202) 870-1164