Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch smiles on Capitol Hill in Washington, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrats from Maryland, announced Tuesday that they will oppose the nomination of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch.

Van Hollen, a freshman senator from Montgomery County, and Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Gorsuch cannot separate his political views from his legal judgment.

Both contrasted the handling of Gorsuch’s confirmation process with that of President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, who was not granted a hearing or a vote in the GOP-controlled chamber after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

The Maryland senators’ plan to vote “no” carries little political risk in the overwhelmingly blue state.

Van Hollen also joins about a dozen Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), in trying to prevent Gorsuch’s nomination from even getting a vote on the Senate floor. Republicans have 52 members and need eight Democrats to join them to break the Democrats’ likely filibuster. Republicans’ other option: Get rid of the filibuster for nominees entirely. (In 2013, Senate Democrats undid the filibuster for most political and judicial nominees but left the 60-vote threshold in place for Supreme Court nominees.) Cardin is undecided on the filibuster.

[Gorsuch may fall short of votes needed for smooth Supreme Court confirmation]

Fellow Democratic Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia have not yet said publicly where they stand on the judge’s nomination. Kaine is up for reelection in 2018.

Van Hollen said that in Gorsuch, Trump found a nominee who would block access to abortion and appease the National Rifle Association.

“After carefully evaluating Neil Gorsuch’s record and his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, I have concluded that he applies a cramped reading of the law and consistently sides with powerful special interests against the rights of individuals, workers, and consumers. When he had an opportunity during the hearings to clarify that bias, he chose instead to evade questions and answered with platitudes, not substance,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

“While he is undoubtedly a skilled lawyer, his bias in favor of corporate power, coupled with his refusal to answer reasonable questions, lead me to conclude that he falls outside the judicial mainstream,” he added.

Cardin said Gorsuch’s record shows why he had the support of conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.

“I am greatly troubled by Judge Gorsuch’s record,” Cardin said in a statement. “His extensive legal record is peppered with examples of putting corporate interests before working Americans, showing hostility to agency decisions that protect our environment, disregard for women’s health, marginalizing students with disabilities and many more troubling decisions.”

“Despite his protestations, his record points to a jurist who has not separated his political views from his legal views. I do not believe that he would serve as an independent check on this president, who has tested the limits of the Constitution and the separation of powers in a way that no other modern president has done,” he added.

Liberal activists galvanized by the election of Trump have flooded senators’ offices and Facebook and Twitter accounts with messages urging them to block Gorsuch.

The Virginia GOP has also tried to pressure Kaine and Warner to state their position.

“We understand that both Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner are under intense pressure from their far-left base to oppose any and all nominations President Trump has put forward,” John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said in a statement this month. “But continuing to obstruct Judge Gorsuch is simply a bridge too far. Regardless of whether or not Warner and Kaine decide to vote against confirming this highly-qualified nominee, he deserves an up-or-down vote.”

Amber Phillips contributed to this report.