As to to requiring that judicial appointments get a filibuster proof majority, Harry Reid started that.
Originally Posted by Tiny
Wrong. Just the opposite is true. Harry Reid was the genius who invoked the so-called "nuclear rule" in 2013, allowing the Senate to approve judicial appointments (and other executive branch nominations) with only a simple majority. Prior to that, they required a filibuster-proof majority of 60+ votes.
When Dirty Harry pulled the trigger, it reversed 176 years of Senate tradition. And while he carved out an exception for the Supreme Court, it quickly backfired on the dimotards. In 2017, Republicans followed Dirty Harry's example/precedent and ended the filibuster for SCOTUS nominees as well, allowing Gorsuch (and later Kavanaugh) to be confirmed with simple majority votes.
File under "karma is a bitch".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_option