Both Massachusetts Senators Will Oppose Trump Supreme Court Pick

Despite President Donald Trump's attempt to cast Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorusch as broadly palatable candidate "respected by all," Senate Democrats are giving him no quarter, those from Massachusetts included.

President Trump on Tuesday announced Judge Gorsuch, a reliably conservative federal appeals court judge in Denver, as his nominee for the open seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. The seat has been open since Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, and the selection of a replacement could affect the balance of power on the court for a generation.

Read More: President Trump Passes Over Mass. Native for Supreme Court

Within moments of his nomination, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, issued a statement questioning whether Gorsuch would be an appropriate "mainstream" pick who would defend the constitution from "abuses of the Executive Branch" and protect the rights of all Americans.

"Given his record, I have very serious doubts about Judge Gorsuch's ability to meet this standard," the statement said.

Following the Minority Leader's lead, both Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey issued statements condemning Gorusch.

You can read their statements below:

As Patch reports, Gorusch is the kind of Republican candidate that broadly pleases the party's base and adheres to the late Justice Scalia's legal interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. His name could well have been picked by a more traditional Republican president than Trump.

But even the early statements from Democrats make clear that they are not considering Gorusch in isolation from a president they adamantly oppose. In addition, the minority party is still fuming after Republicans denied even a hearing for President Obama's Supreme Court nominee in the run-up to the election.

Read more on Gorusch and Trump's announcement from Patch.

Photo via White House

Cody Fenwick, Patch staff, contributed to this report