Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Wisconsin’s two U.S. senators voted with their respective political parties, as the Senate on Friday confirmed Neil Gorsuch as the 113th U.S. Supreme Court justice.
The vote was 54-45, with Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson voting “yes” and Democrat Tammy Baldwin “no.” Johnson said in a statement afterward that it was a pleasure to vote to confirm Gorsuch, who he called “a highly qualified, mainstream judge who will apply the law as written, rather than alter the law to achieve the outcome he desires.”
Baldwin has long opposed Gorsuch’s nomination, saying in a statement this week that the people of Wisconsin want and impartial and independent Supreme Court. “I have deep concerns about Judge Gorsuch’s troubling record of ruling against disabled students, including a ruling that was so far out of the mainstream the Supreme Court unanimously overturned it, as well has his rulings against workers and against women’s reproductive health care,” she said.
On Thursday, Republicans paved the way for the Gorsuch confirmation by eliminating the 60 vote threshold for stopping a filibuster and allowing a simple majority of 51 to confirm Supreme Court justices. Gorsuch’s confirmation ends a 14 month partisan battle to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. which included the GOP blocking Obama nominee Merrick Garland last year.