Sen Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyMassachusetts town clerk resigns after delays to primary vote count Bogeymen of the far left deserve a place in any Biden administration Senate Democrats urge Amazon to recall, stop sales of explosive products MORE (D-Mass.) blasted President Trump Donald John TrumpTrump says he doesn't think he could've done more to stop virus spread Conservative activist Lauren Witzke wins GOP Senate primary in Delaware Trump defends claim coronavirus will disappear, citing 'herd mentality' MORE in the Democrat's weekly address, arguing he's trying to "rig" the Supreme Court.

“Donald Trump railed against a rigged political system," he said in remarks released Friday evening. "But make no mistake, he’s trying to rig the Supreme Court against hardworking Americans. And we cannot let him."

Progressives, including Markey, quickly lined up against Neil Gorsuch after Trump named as his Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday evening. The Massachusetts Democrat called the looming confirmation battle "one of the most consequential in our nation's history."

"[Trump] has nominated a candidate for the Supreme Court who is outside the judicial mainstream," Markey said. “Judge Gorsuch’s record gives every American reason to be concerned that the basic protections that keep families safe, healthy and productive will be at risk."

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Markey pointed to Gorsuch's support for corporations and said he could be a "potential ally" for Trump to overturn Roe v Wade.

Republicans, who hold 52 seats in the Senate, are pledging to confirm Gorsuch, who began meeting with lawmakers this week.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGOP ramps up attacks on Democrats over talk of nixing filibuster MLB owner: It's 'very necessary' to vote for Trump Delta: Early departures saved flight attendants' jobs MORE (R-Ky.) is publicly pushing Democrats to let Trump's nominee clear the upper chamber on a simple up-or-down vote.

But Democrats believe Trump's nominee deserves extra scrutiny, with Markey arguing a Supreme Court nominee must be able to stand up to the president's "assault on our core democratic values."

A 2013 decision Democrats, led by then-Majority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidBottom line Filibuster fight looms if Democrats retake Senate Biden unites Democrats — for now MORE (D-Nev.), lowered the threshold for most nominations to a simple majority, but left the higher 60-vote procedural hurdle in place for Supreme Court nominations.

Markey, who has already pledged to oppose Gorsuch, reiterated on Friday that Democrats would enforce the higher threshold. The move means Republicans will need to get at least eight Democratic senators to break ranks and support Gorsuch for his nomination to clear the Senate.

“Senate Democrats are going to insist that Judge Gorsuch is subject to the same 60-vote threshold that President Obama’s nominees had to meet," Markey said.

Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, Obama's two nominees, both received more than 60 votes but weren't subjected to the higher threshold or a cloture vote