Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the longest serving Republican senator and a Senate traditionalist, told CNN Monday he will vote for the "nuclear option" if it's needed to break a Democratic filibuster of Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court. Hatch said the controversial procedural move, which would be instituted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would be "a very bad thing" for the Senate -- but would be acceptable if it gets Gorsuch installed on the high court. The nuclear option would change Senate rules to lower the threshold for breaking a filibuster of Supreme Court nominees from 60 votes to 51, meaning Republicans could advance Gorsuch without the support of any Democrats. Republicans would take the rare and contentious step over the objections of Democrats, who themselves changed the rules on Republicans in 2013 when they lowered the filibuster threshold for all other presidential appointments besides the Supreme Court. Read more http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/politics/orrin-hatch-neil-gorsuch-nuclear-option/
