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U.S. senators from Iowa on Neil Gorsuch's nomination

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See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2017: An overview

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On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Scalia was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for three decades.[1] President Trump said regarding the nomination,[2]

“

I am proud to announce the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for Justice of the Supreme Court ... This has been the most transparent and most important Supreme Court selection process in the history of our country and I wanted the American people to have a voice in this nomination. Judge Gorsuch has a superb intellect, an unparalleled legal education, and a commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its text. He will make an incredible Justice as soon as the Senate confirms him. [3]

”

Confirmation hearings on Gorsuch's nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee were held from March 20-23, 2017. On April 3, 2017, voting 11-9 on party lines, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the full U.S. Senate. That same day, Senate Democrats announced that they had a sufficient number of votes to sustain a filibuster against the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. In anticipation of an expected filibuster, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated that he was prepared to restrict the use of filibusters on Supreme Court nominations, referred to as the nuclear option. The Senate voted on April 6, 2017, to end the use of filibusters on all presidential nominations and proceeded to vote to end debate on the Gorsuch nomination. Gorsuch was confirmed on a recorded 54-45 vote of the Senate on Friday, April 7, 2017, and he received his commission on Monday, April 10, 2017.[4]


HIGHLIGHTS
  • President Donald Trump (R) nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court on January 31, 2017.
  • On January 3, 2017, the first day of the 115th Congress, Republicans held a 52-48 majority in the U.S. Senate.
  • Confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee began on March 20, 2017.



    • U.S. senators from Iowa on Neil Gorsuch's nomination

    Joni Ernst (R)

    Senator Ernst released the following statement after meeting with Judge Gorsuch on February 13, 2017:[5]

    “

    One would be hard-pressed to dispute the academic credentials and intellectual rigor of Judge Neil Gorsuch. During the course of Judge Gorsuch’s ten-year judicial career, his opinions have reflected not only his outstanding legal acumen, but also his respect for the Constitution and a Scalia-like ability to explain his decisions.

    The people spoke last November, and our new president has put forward a well-respected nominee who the Senate has previously confirmed with unanimous support. It’s time for Washington to work together – as our constituents expect us to do –to confirm a nominee who will defend the rule of law.

    From my conversation with Judge Gorsuch, I believe he is dedicated to interpreting the text of the Constitution and statutes as they are written – rather than attempting to legislate from the bench. I look forward to moving ahead to fill the Supreme Court vacancy with this eminently-qualified nominee, and I thank him for his willingness to serve his country in this critically important role. [3]

    		”

    Ernst made the following comments about the Supreme Court nomination:[6]

    Ernst released the following statement on January 31, 2017:[7]

    “

    It is critical that the highest court in the land applies the text of the Constitution and statutes impartially. From what I have learned thus far, Judge Neil Gorsuch will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to interpret the law as written, rather than legislating from the bench. The people spoke last November, and our new president has tonight put forward a well-respected nominee who the Senate has previously confirmed with unanimous support. It’s time for Washington to work together – as our constituents expect us to do – and move forward to fill the Supreme Court vacancy with this eminently-qualified nominee. [3]

    		”

    Chuck Grassley (R)

    Grassley gave the following speech from the Senate floor on February 14, 2017:[8]

    Grassley was interviewed by Bill Hemmer of Fox News on February 2, 2017:[9]

    Grassley was interviewed by Bret Baier of Fox News on February 1, 2017:[10]

    Grassley gave the following speech from the Senate floor on February 1, 2017:[11]

    Grassley released the following video on January 31, 2017:[12]

    Grassley released the following statement on January 31, 2017:[13]

    “

    Judge Gorsuch is universally respected across the ideological spectrum as a mainstream judge who applies the law without regard to person or his own preferences. By all accounts, he has a record of deciding cases based on the text of the Constitution and the law. That’s important because in our system of government, Congress, not judges, make the laws. I look forward to continuing to review his qualifications and to hearing from Judge Gorsuch himself about his approach to the law.

    Following the death of Justice Scalia as Americans were beginning to cast their votes for the next President, I said that we’d move forward with the next President’s nomination to the Supreme Court, regardless of who won. The President has made his selection and that’s what we’ll do. [3]

    		”

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The New York Times, "Justice Antonin Scalia, Who Led a Conservative Renaissance on the Supreme Court, Is Dead at 79," February 13, 2016
    2. ↑ The White House, "President Donald J. Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court," January 31, 2017
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Politico, "Gorsuch confirmation hearing set for March 20," February 16, 2017
    5. ↑ Senator Joni Ernst, "Senator Ernst Meets with Supreme Court Nominee Judge Gorsuch," February 13, 2017
    6. ↑ YouTube, "Ernst on Supreme Court nominee," February 6, 2017
    7. ↑ Senator Joni Ernst, "Ernst statement on SCOTUS nominee," January 31, 2017
    8. ↑ YouTube, "Grassley: Judge Gorsuch Meeting Every New Benchmark Set by the Minority Leader," February 14, 2017
    9. ↑ YouTube, "Grassley Discusses SCOTUS with Bill Hemmer on America's Newsroom, 2-2-17," February 2, 2017
    10. ↑ YouTube, "Grassley remarks on the Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch," February 1, 2017
    11. ↑ YouTube, "Grassley remarks on the Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch," February 1, 2017
    12. ↑ YouTube, "Grassley discusses Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch," January 31, 2017
    13. ↑ Senator Chuck Grassley, "Grassley statement on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch," January 31, 2017
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