Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch Coasting Toward Senate Showdown

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) (back to camera) swears in Judge Neil Gorsuch during the first day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 20, 2017. Alex Wong/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, after two smooth days at his confirmation hearing, will cruise into Wednesday’s session with any questions about his prospects likely shifting from the Judiciary Committee to the full Senate.

President Donald Trump’s high court pick has avoided major pitfalls through many hours of committee hearings, despite tension over how he got there, after Republicans refused last year to consider former Democratic President Barack Obama’s nominee.

After the committee’s senators question Gorsuch again on Wednesday, the panel will hold a closed-door session before final testimony on Thursday from outside witnesses who oppose or support Gorsuch. A committee vote is expected on April 3.

Approval is virtually assured, moving the nomination to the full Senate. There Gorsuch’s challenge will be to gather enough Democratic support to avoid a prolonged floor fight with the potential, if it gets rocky, of changing how the Senate works.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that Gorsuch would be confirmed before the Senate’s mid-April recess.

Judge Neil Gorsuch prepares to testify during the second day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 20, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images