Princeton University professor Robert P. George praised his friend Gorsuch as a finalist on Trump’s short list last week, saying: He is intellectually extremely gifted and is deeply committed to the (actual) Constitution and the rule of law. He will not manufacture “rights” or read things into the Constitution that aren’t there or read things out of the Constitution that are. Despite comparisons to Scalia, those who know Gorsuch point out how his temperament differs from his predecessor.
President Donald Trump named Neil Gorsuch, a conservative, Ivy League-educated federal judge known for his way with words and defenses of religious freedom, as his Supreme Court nominee during a live broadcast Tuesday night.
A favorite pick among Christian conservatives, Gorsuch fulfills Trump’s promise to select a judge that “evangelicals, Christians will love” and who also stands a solid chance of scoring Senate approval. (Gorsuch’s federal appointment by President George W. Bush in 2006 was uncontroversial.)
“Judge Gorsuch’s combination of intellectual horsepower and work ethic has enabled him to excel academically at the world’s best universities, become a first-rate lawyer and judge, and develop remarkable verbal abilities,” said Robert Pushaw, a constitutional law expert and professor at Pepperdine University School of Law.
An Episcopalian, Gorsuch accepted what he called “a most solemn assignment,” remarking “I am so thankful for my family, my friends, and my faith. These are the things that keep me grounded in life’s peaks and sustain me in its valleys.” If confirmed, Gorsuch would become the high court’s only Protestant justice.
Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president Russell Moore, who tweeted that he hoped Trump would select the Denver judge, applauded the appointment:
His career is one that exemplifies the very best of intellectually robust conservatism, judicial restraint and faithfulness to the Constitution…. I look forward to Judge Gorsuch’s voice on the court for decades to come and pray that he will be an articulate and stalwart advocate for religious liberty and human dignity at all its stages.
Though Gorsuch has not ruled on Roe v. Wade, he calls for a consistent pro-life ethic surrounding end-of-life issues in his book, The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, and is expected to side against abortion.
“As a family ministry concerned with the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom, we are optimistic that Judge Gorsuch will continue to protect our cherished liberties, and earn the entire country’s respect as a member of our nation’s highest court,” said Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, in a statement. “It’s our hope that he will follow in the late Justice Scalia’s footsteps in boldly standing up to the whims of culture and have ‘the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.’”
National Right to Life noted Gorsuch’s dissent defending Utah’s attempt to curb Planned Parenthood funding. Others including Americans United for Life, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) also praised his nomination. “He is decidedly pro-life and understands what it means to protect the constitutional freedoms afforded to all Americans,” said ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow.
As a judge in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Gorsuch wrote a concurring opinion supporting Hobby Lobby’s contraception mandate exemption—a ruling ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court. He also sided with the Little Sisters of the Poor.
