who changed the 60 vote rule for supreme court justices
Nuclear option In November 2013, Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid used the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote rule on executive branch nominations and federal judicial appointments, but not for the Supreme Court[1]. In April 2017, Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell extended the nuclear option to Supreme Court and the nomination of Neil Gorsuch ending the debate[2].[3][4]
Supreme Court of the United States In 1866, at the behest of Chief Justice Chase, Congress passed an act providing that the next three justices to retire would not be replaced, which would thin the bench to seven justices by attrition. Consequently, one seat was removed in 1866 and a second in 1867. In 1869, however, the Circuit Judges Act returned the number of justices to nine,[70] where it has since remained.
Marcus Álvarez
Supreme Court of the United States The court is currently filled with nine justices. The most recent justice to join to the court was Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by President Donald Trump on January 31, 2017, and confirmed on April 7, 2017, by the Senate.