Washington, D.C. – Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) spoke for over 15 hours on the Senate floor to protest President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
Merkley promised to speak for as long as he was able to in protest of what his office calls a “stolen Supreme Court seat.”
While speaking, Merkley addressed the Senate Republicans’ alleged “theft” of the seat during former President Obama’s term. He said, “For the first time in U.S. history, a seat has been stolen from one president and delivered to another in a court-packing scheme. If that were to succeed, it would set a precedent that will haunt the Court for decades to come.”
Merkley said if confirmed, Gorsuch would serve as a “far right-wing Justice completely out of the mainstream.”
Democrats currently have the votes required to block the nomination of Gorsuch.
The speech did not delay any votes or debate.
The 15 hour address was among the top ten longest in U.S. Senate history, according to Merkley’s office.
NBC News reports the record speaking time is held by Strom Thurmond. He talked for over 24 hours in protest of civil rights legislation in 1957.
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