What It Will Take For Neil Gorsuch To Reach Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — There are two potential paths through the Senate to the Supreme Court bench for Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's nominee. One way or the other, he's expected to be approved thanks to the 52-48 Republican majority.

THE EASY WAY

If Republicans can gather a total of 60 senators in favor, they can overcome any moves by Democrats to block the nomination. That would need the support of eight Democrats and independents, which seems increasingly unlikely. On Thursday, New York's Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said he would lead a filibuster against the nomination and others also have signaled they'll look to block it.

THE HARD WAY

If Republicans are short of 60 votes, they could trigger what's known as "the nuclear option" — a change to Senate rules that would remove the option of a filibuster with a simple majority vote. In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seemed ready to go that route.

It's not without precedent. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made a similar change for lower-court nominations in 2013.

Once the Senate gets past procedural votes, it can hold a simple majority vote to confirm.

THE TIMELINE

The Senate Judiciary Committee held four days of hearings this week and the committee is expected to vote in the next two weeks. The full Senate vote could be held the week of April 3.