President Trump's pick for the Supreme Court continues his third, and likely last, day of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
If confirmed, Judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, would fill the high court seat left vacant in February 2016, after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Then-President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland, but the nominee did not receive a hearing or vote. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Garland's "nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president."
In the first day of Gorsuch's hearing, Garland's name came up frequently. Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said his party's participation in the hearing represented "a courtesy which Senate Republicans denied to Judge Garland."
Gorsuch is currently a federal appeals court judge in Denver. Senators are expected to question him on a variety of social issues including abortion and gay marriage. His skepticism of the power of federal agencies is also expected to be an issue, and his dissent in the case of "the frozen trucker."
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