
LOOP 500 TRIVIA ANSWER // Justice William Rehnquist was the other dissenting vote in Roe v. Wade.
SUPREME COURT // Judge Neil Gorsuch deftly answered questions on abortion, religious liberty, the rule of law, and election spending during the second day of confirmation hearings. Here’s a detailed account of what Senators asked him, and his responses: http://cvote.it/2mr3cZF
SUPREME COURT // “Faced with an eminently qualified, reasonable, fair, and brilliant judge, Democrats are flailing — and failing — in their desperate attempt to ‘bork’ Judge Neil Gorsuch,'” writes pro-family activist Maggie Gallagher. http://cvote.it/2mqTl6h
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY // If you have five minutes, you really should just watch and listen as Judge Neil Gorsuch explains exactly what court cases led Congress to enact the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1993, and how the courts then became stronger defenders of religious liberty because of the law passed by Congress. Watch: http://cvote.it/2mr7PTw
HEALTH CARE // Tomorrow is the day of the schedule vote on the House Republican plan to replace Obamacare. Speaker Ryan and other Republican leaders are convinced they have the votes to pass the bill. http://cvote.it/2mr7yjk
WEDNESDAY WORD // Conference committee – When the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill, they usually form a committee to resolve disagreements of the bill. Members of both the House and Senate are appointed to the committee, and it’s usually made up of the senior members of the relevant committee handling the legislation. If a deal is worked out, both the House and the Senate have to cast a vote on the same language before it can be sent to the President.
JUDICIARY // President Trump will nominate U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, filling one of the 19 appellate court vacancies. “This is a great sign that President Trump takes lower courts seriously,” said Elizabeth Slattery, a legal scholar for the Heritage Foundation. http://cvote.it/2mr5gRd
CATHOLIC // He was killed for defying Hitler – and now he’s been beatified. http://cvote.it/2mqSQcp
CATHOLIC // The Vatican releases details on Pope Francis’ two-day visit to Portugal in May for the 100th Anniverary of Fatima. http://cvote.it/2mrhvgX
SAINT // Saint Nicholas Owen – http://cvote.it/dailysaint
DAILY MASS // “Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.” (Ps 147:12) – http://cvote.it/Daily-Readings
CARTOON //