Donald Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch as Supreme Court justice as Democrats warn of tough confirmation battle

The White House is gearing up for a tough confirmation battle after Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch for a lifetime job on the US Supreme Court. The president picked the 49-year-old federal appeals court judge, amid much fanfare, to restore the court's conservative majority and help
shape rulings on divisive issues such as abortion, gun control, the death penalty and religious rights.
The Colorado native faces a potentially contentious confirmation battle in the US Senate after Republicans last year refused to consider Democratic President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacancy caused by the February 2016 death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia.The Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, indicated his party would mount a procedural hurdle requiring 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate rather than a simple majority to approve Mr Gorsuch, and expressed "very serious doubts" about the nominee. Liberal groups called for an all-out fight to reject Mr Gorsuch while conservative groups and Republican senators heaped praise on him like "outstanding," "impressive" and a "home run."


Read more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/31/donald-trump-sacks-us-attorney-general-sally-yates-defiance/