Democrat Donnelly to support Trump pick for U.S. Supreme Court

Reuters
FILE PHOTO - Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 3, 2013. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly threw his support on Sunday behind Judge Neil Gorsuch, becoming only the third Democrat to back President Donald Trump's nominee to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. "After meeting with Judge Gorsuch, conducting a thorough review of his record, and closely following his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I believe that he is a qualified jurist who will base his decisions on his understanding of the law and is well-respected among his peers," Donnelly said in a statement. He also said he supported keeping the current 60-vote threshold for high court nominees. (Reporting by Pete Schroeder Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim Ahmann)