According to Hotair, Patrick Leahy told some website called VTDigger that he may not filibuster Gorsuch even though that’s clearly what Schumer wants to happen:
The most senior senator, Leahy retains a vision for the chamber as one that promotes bipartisanship and compromise. Leahy has long expressed concern about the politicization of judicial nominees, and he does not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to filibuster the Gorsuch nomination, which would effectively block a full Senate vote.
“I am not inclined to filibuster, even though I’m not inclined to vote for him,” Leahy said…
“I do think the end of the filibuster hurts everybody,” Leahy said. “I was very reluctant to see us use the nuclear option, thought I don’t think we would have seen any of President Obama’s judges go through without it.”…
“If politics continues to pervade judicial nominations, Americans will lose faith in the judiciary,” Leahy said. “They have already lost faith in the presidency and the Congress, there’s not much trust left in government.”
As Allahpundit points out, this opens the door for some to follow him and if enough do, then that might kill the filibuster.
But none of this is definitive, as Leahy’s spokesperson has pointed out (click to enlarge):
That would be something if Schumer’s first big filibuster as minority leader failed in the Senate.
As an aside, I also wonder if there’s dissention in the Democratic ranks, and maybe this was Leahy’s way of sending a message to Schumer?