Republicans will likely try to minimize the length of the hearings, Mr. Wermiel said. “Ideally, their goal would be that a nominee goes in there facing no question that he had not already heard in one of those sessions,” Mr. Wermiel said. At least a week after the hearings, the committee will vote on sending the nomination to the full Senate. A simple majority is needed, but there’s a twist: By tradition, Supreme Court nominations are sent to the Senate even if the nominee is rejected by the committee. If the Democrats filibuster the nomination, Republicans would need 60 votes to end the filibuster, requiring some Democrats to join the Republicans.

Source: New York Times January 31, 2017 23:03 UTC