Thread: President's pick for Supreme Court

He is the judge who ruled in a lower court decision in favor of Hobby Lobby.

By Alex Gladu
16 hours ago

If all goes according to President Trump's plan, Neil Gorsuch will soon take the empty seat on the Supreme Court's high bench. After weeks of speculation, Trump formally nominated Gorsuch, currently a Tenth Circuit appellate court judge in Colorado, to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Based on Gorsuch's opinion in the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby case, the new justice is likely to judge with a conservative streak.

The court heard Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. in 2014, ruling that corporations can refuse to provide contraception coverage for their employees on the grounds of religious freedom. In the suit, Hobby Lobby argued that it shouldn't have to cover contraception for its employees because of its Christian ownership. The court's majority sided with Hobby Lobby — dealing a blow to President Obama's universal healthcare mission — but the bench as a whole ultimately remained deeply divided. It was a 5-4 vote.

At the time of the Hobby Lobby case, Gorsuch sat, as he did on Tuesday, on the bench for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. His appellate court heard the case before it went on to the Supreme Court. Although he made his judgment before the Supreme Court's involvement, Gorsuch sided with SCOTUS's majority.
Source: Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images

In that case, Gorsuch's opinion noted the importance of protecting religious freedom. He also noted how unpopular his position might be.
[The law] doesn’t just apply to protect popular religious beliefs: it does perhaps its most important work in protecting unpopular religious beliefs, vindicating this nation’s long-held aspiration to serve as a refuge of religious tolerance.

On the night of Gorsuch's nomination, it was clear that his opinion was still unpopular among many reproductive rights advocates. Such advocates challenged Gorsuch to uphold Roe v. Wade and protect women's own freedom to manage their reproductive health. "Any prospective Supreme Court nominee must hold views consistent with the Constitution and settled law about a woman’s ability to make her own reproductive health decisions," said a statement from Jodi Magee, president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health.
Source: Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Gorsuch's nomination may send a troubling sign to reproductive rights advocates, but it was not unexpected. When Trump announced his SCOTUS pick on Tuesday night, he referenced the short list circulated during his campaign. Gorsuch, known for his Antonin Scalia-like approach to the law, seemed like a good bet leading up to Tuesday's announcement. Now, it's to be determined if he's a good bet for the country's women.
https://www.bustle.com/p/neil-gorsuc...-to-come-34610

He is a traditionalist, who believes that the constitution should be interpreted with the forefather's intent and not as a document which changes with the times and customs of the present day.

Originally Posted by fuego

Pro life, etc, etc?

Yes, he is definitely against "assisted suicide" he has written extensively about it and his rationale is based on the intrinsic value of every human life.

Also, just check out much the Dems are freaking out over him...

Pelosi rips Trump's SCOTUS pick, as Republicans weigh 'nuclear option'
By Adam Shaw Published February 01, 2017
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...ar-option.html

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi launched into a blistering attack on President Trump's Supreme Court pick Tuesday, accusing Judge Neil Gorsuch of being hostile to everything from clean air to children with autism – a hint of likely Democratic resistance, as some Republicans eye a potential "nuclear option."

Trump nominated Gorsuch to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, choosing an originalist judge seen by supporters to be in the mold of the late Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, whose death in February 2016 opened up the spot Gorsuch is now seeking to fill.

Pelosi made her pointed remarks during a CNN town hall, in which she called Gorsuch "a very hostile appointment" and "well outside the mainstream of American legal thought."

"If you breathe air, drink water, eat food, take medicine or in any other way interact with the courts, this is a very bad decision," she said.

"What saddens me the most as a mom and a grandmother, though, is his hostility toward children in school, children with autism," Pelosi said. "He has ruled that they don't have the same rights under the [Individuals With Disabilities Education Act] that they could reach their intellectual and social advancement under the law — he has said that doesn't apply to them."

Pelosi does not get a say in Gorsuch's confirmation, which is handled by the Senate, but her scathing remarks are a possible indicator of the hostility Gorsuch is likely to face. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have already expressed their opposition to the pick....

They all said that they would oppose whoever he picked. Hard thing for them is that they passed him to sit on a lower court appointment, and now they are going against him. Won't this show their true colors.

10 Demon-cratic seats are up for re-election soon, and they are in states where President Trump won decisively. They have to tread carefully or may find themselves on unemployment when the next election hits their districts.

If they keep it up, they may be doing the nation a great service by handing 10 more seats to the Republicans.

Originally Posted by krystian

Where is she getting that from? Do you have a link to something he has said or ruled in that regard?

I have no idea what case or judgment she may be referring to.