Trump's Supreme Court nominee poised to become next major battle in DC

Battle lines may soon be drawn in Washington D.C., as the Senate appears to be on a collision course over Neil Gorsuch's nomination to serve as the next Supreme Court justice.

A slew of sources on both the Republican and Democratic sides suggest that the parties will dig in over President Trump's nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the court.

The key battle? Under current Senate rules, Gorsuch cannot be confirmed unless 60 senators agree to advance debate. With Republicans in control of only 52 seats in the Senate, Democrats can filibuster the nominee.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made it clear that he is ready to oppose Gorsuch, which suggests such a filibuster could be likely. The question that remains is what fellow Democrats will do.

Many progressive lawmakers have said Gorsuch does not deserve a simple confirmation because Republicans refused to consider Obama nominee Merrick Garland for the role.

Scalia's seat has been open since he passed away in early 2016. While former President Barack Obama quickly nominated Garland to replace Scalia, Republican leadership in the Senate refused to move forward on his nomination, arguing that with the next election coming soon, the next president should chose the next nominee.

The Republicans could also bypass the Democrats with the so-called nuclear option which would enable his confirmation through a simple majority vote.