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Senate confirms Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch

Posted at 11:48 AM, Apr 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-07 17:36:02-04

The Latest on the Senate debate on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (all times local):

12:10 p.m.

The Supreme Court says Neil Gorsuch will be sworn in as the 113th justice on Monday in separate ceremonies at the court and the White House.

Justices take two oaths, one required by the Constitution and the other set by federal law.

Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the constitutional oath to Gorsuch in a private ceremony in the justices' conference room at 9 a.m.

Later Monday, Justice Anthony Kennedy will ask his former law clerk and new colleague to take the second oath in a public ceremony at the White House. The court did not give a time for the White House event.
Gorsuch will officially be a member of the court once he takes the two oaths.
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12:05 p.m.

The Senate has confirmed Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, bringing a contentious 14-month partisan battle to a close after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

The vote was 54-45 on Friday. The victory gives President Donald Trump's 49-year-old nominee a lifetime spot on the court and his party a much-needed political win after failing to pass legislation on health care and other issues.

The final confirmation vote came after Senate Republicans rewrote the rules, voting to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold on Supreme Court nominees. The change allows the Senate to proceed to the final vote with a simple majority.

Democrats opposed Gorsuch in part because Senate Republicans blocked former President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, last year.