Coons Admits Qualifications Aren’t Enough for Justices

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Firing Line that a Supreme Court nominee’s qualifications are no longer sufficient in determining whether they’ll win a senator’s vote, pointing to his own vote against Justice Neil Gorsuch’s nomination in 2017.

Said Coons: “That was the point at which I first voted against a nominee for the Supreme Court not based on his qualifications — eminently qualified, great temperament, good writer, strong record of service — but I disagreed with his philosophy.”

He added: “I will own that I’m a part of this problem.”