PDA

View Full Version : 60 votes versus simple majority



jimnyc
04-06-2017, 12:49 PM
In the history of nominating supreme court justices, how many total have been nominated? How many in total did we have in our history? How many needed the supermajority, and how many needed a simple majority?

I'm doing a lot of searching but not finding those specific results. Is it true it started with just a simple majority? WHEN did that change?

jimnyc
04-06-2017, 01:25 PM
Of course I'm wrong with any numbers, as the voting congress numbers were always different. I was naive to think it was "always" 60 or 51. But it appears the filibuster was never used until 1968? From what I'm reading, the regular majority seems to have always been the way to go, and that the filibuster came late... so confirming Gorsuch with a simple majority would align with our history more than a filibuster or supermajority would.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Filibuster_Derails_Supreme_Court_Appointment.htm

https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/nominations/Nominations.htm

Black Diamond
04-06-2017, 01:27 PM
Ginsburg was confirmed 98-2.

jimnyc
04-06-2017, 01:28 PM
Ginsburg was confirmed 98-2.

96-3 from the site I just posted...

https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00232