nbcnightlynews:

BREAKING: US Senate triggers “nuclear option” in vote to change rule and bypass filibuster of Supreme Court nominee. http://nbcnews.to/2nOV5m6

Beyond the obvious immediate consequence that Gorsuch is headed for the Supreme Court, there are other longer-reaching Implications of changing the Senate’s rule around filibusters:

From an 4/5/17 article on Buzzfeed by Geider and Loop:

With the change in place, it will mean that when presidents have the Senate majority on their side, they will no longer need bipartisan support to have their Supreme Court nominees confirmed.

In part, this means the Senate — referred to in Important Congressional Texts (and originally, it is said, by George Washington) as the “saucer” that allows for the cooling of the passions of the House — could become even less of a moderating institution.

“I regret it for the country because I think you’re going to have more ideological judicial picks,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told BuzzFeed News on Monday. “And I think the Senate’s going to become more polarized.”