Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) praised Judge Neil Gorsuch on Monday during Gorsuch's confirmation hearing for the United States Supreme Court.
Leahy cited Gorsuch's tenure as a federal judge, his Harvard Law education, his being a clerk for the Supreme Court, his time at the Department of Justice and his unanimous well-qualified rating from the American Bar Association.
"All things very positive for a Supreme Court nominee," Leahy said after.
Leahy is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he served as chairman for a decade. Additionally, Leahy is currently the longest serving senator.
Some Senate Democrats are openly opposed to the nomination, and have proposed not just voting against Gorsuch, but also do whatever possible to delay the proceedings, with some considering filibustering his nomination.
Gorsuch was nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia to the bench. President Barack Obama had nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016, but the Republican-controlled Senate did not take up the nomination as it was an election year and believed the next president should nominate Scalia's successor.
