WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement on Thursday after voting against invoking cloture on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to serve on the Supreme Court. The motion to invoke cloture failed by a vote of 55-45. Click here to view video of Murphy speaking on the floor. 

“Judge Gorsuch has a disturbing record of putting the powerful ahead of the powerless. He has consistently suggested that corporations and big donors have more rights under the Constitution than the individuals who work for them, and that the religious freedom and health care rights of wealthy corporations trump the religious freedom and health care rights of ordinary citizens. Even though he says he’s going to play it straight, Judge Gorsuch’s support for the powerful and rich will come at the expense of the families and individuals I represent in Connecticut, and that is unacceptable.

“I will never forgive the Republican majority for the disrespect they showed to Merrick Garland last year, but let me be clear – my vote against Judge Gorsuch is not payback. Our democracy cannot afford a Supreme Court Justice who uses the feint of 'originalism' to bring his political views, which seem to regularly line up with corporate interests, into the courtroom.”

Last night, Murphy spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate in opposition to Judge Gorsuch’s nomination. Murphy announced his opposition to Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court last week.

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