Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch meets with Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14. | AP Photo Gorsuch confirmation hearing set for March 20

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee has been scheduled for March 20.

The hearing for President Donald Trump’s most high-profile and consequential nominee this year is expected to last three to four days. Opening statements from senators on the committee and Gorsuch will be on March 20, and questioning of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge will be held on March 21. Senators will also hear testimony from outside experts.


“Judge Gorsuch has met every demand placed on him by the minority,” committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement announcing the hearings. “He’s a mainstream judge. He’s displayed independence. He’s met with dozens of senators who have nothing but positive things to say. He is well-qualified and respected. He worked diligently to return the bipartisan questionnaire. It’s time for him to have the opportunity to speak for himself before the Judiciary Committee.”

Gorsuch has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill as he courts senators, particularly Democrats whose support he would need to win confirmation to fill the seat of deceased Justice Antonin Scalia. The judge has met with roughly 50 senators so far, and he has a full slate of sit-downs on Thursday, including Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a member of Democratic leadership; Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.); and two Senate Democrats up for reelection in swing states next year, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

The Judiciary Committee said the confirmation timeline for Gorsuch is similar to that for now-Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan by a Democratic-controlled Senate for President Barack Obama. Gorsuch’s hearing is scheduled 48 days after he was nominated by Trump — the same timeline for Sotomayor. Kagan had her hearing 49 days after she was unveiled as the nominee.