President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington Tuesday to announce Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court. Gorsuch stands with his wife Louise. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Senate Republicans are standing united behind President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and bracing for a protracted fight with Democrats over a conservative judge similar in philosophy to the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Gorsuch, a Denver-based judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, “has an impressive background and a long record of faithfully applying the law and the Constitution.” One after the other, Senate Republicans echoed the leader, describing Gorsuch as a well-qualified jurist.

With Vice President Mike Pence by his side, Gorsuch was planning to meet with McConnell on Wednesday on Capitol Hill/Associated Press. More here.