Trump has been gifted a second supreme court pick. These are the hurdles the nominee will have to clear

Trump's route to securing the supreme court – and how he might be blocked

With the supreme court justice Anthony Kennedy retiring, Donald Trump and the Republican party have been gifted a second supreme court pick, which is expected to shift the ideology of the nation’s high court to the right.

Democrats were left irate in 2016, after a Republican-majority Senate refused to vote on Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland. The question in 2018 is, can the Democrats do the same?

Pragmatically, with the Republicans in control of the Senate, the chances are very slim. However, with a monumental midterm result and some Republican dissension, it is not impossible.

Here are the hurdles any nominee would have to clear to be confirmed.