The US Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court Friday, culminating a 13-month fight over the vacancy and rewarding President Donald Trump by bringing a conservative tilt back to the bench.
The federal judge from Colorado crossed the finish line in a 54-45 vote, one day after Trump's Republicans controversially changed Senate rules to circumvent a Democratic blockade of his nomination.
"Today is a new day," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the vote, seeking to put a positive stamp on what has been a contentious congressional process for the new Republican administration.
Gorsuch is "going to make an incredible addition to the court," McConnell said. "He's going to make the American people proud."
The White House said Gorsuch -- the youngest nominee in a generation -- will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday at 9:00am in a private ceremony.
The 49-year-old judge has been hailed by Republicans as a worthy successor to towering conservative justice Antonia Scalia, who died in February 2016 as the presidential race was gaining steam.
The nine-justice court has had one seat vacant for __more than a year amid the ensuing political battle, with Democrats and Republicans trading bitter accusations of blame.
The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of many of the most sensitive issues of American life and law. Its members are appointed for life, so their influence is long-lasting.
Gorsuch's confirmation is destined to shape the bench just as Trump is seeking approval of a key plank of his political platform: his executive order that halts entry to the United States from citizens of several Muslim-majority nations.
The so-called travel ban has been halted in lower federal courts, but experts expect it will make its way to the Supreme Court.