The new rule allows for a simple majority, instead of a 60-vote supermajority, to confirm nominees to the nation’s top court. It has been described as a “nuclear option.”
In 2013, Democrats employed a similar tactic for lower court and cabinet nominees, but left in place the ability to filibuster Supreme Court appointees. “Because a nominee could pass with a simple majority instead of 60 votes, it's much more likely that a more ideological candidate would be nominated, an action that some fear would polarize the Supreme Court,” the article reads.