On Wednesday evening, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed for cloture on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the vacancy on the Supreme Court, which means that after the vote on cloture by the Senate on Friday, the vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation will take place on Saturday.
As Georgetown Law explains:
The Senate rules used to allow unlimited debate (a practice known as filibustering) and to end the debate, it required the votes of 3/5 of the Senate or 60 senators (known as the cloture vote). In April 2017, the Senate changed this rule and lowered the required votes to 51 to end debate on Supreme Court nominations (this is commonly known as “the nuclear option”).
When the debate ends, the Senate votes on the nomination. A simple majority of the Senators present and voting is required for the judicial nominee to be confirmed. If there is a tie, the Vice President who also presides over the Senate casts the deciding vote.
