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

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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 Utah on Neil Gorsuch's nomination

    Orrin Hatch (R)

    Senator Hatch released the following video related to the nomination of Judge Gorsuch on February 27, 2017:[5]

    Hatch gave the following speech from the Senate floor on February 15, 2017:[6]

    Hatch contributed an editorial for the website Real Clear Politics about Judge Neil Gorsuch on February 14, 2017.[7]

    Hatch gave the following speech from the Senate floor on February 9, 2017:[8]

    The following is an excerpt from a floor speech by Hatch on February 1, 2017, and retrieved from the senator's YouTube channel:[9]

    Hatch was interviewed by Greta van Susteren on MSNBC about the nomination:[10]

    Hatch released the following video on January 31, 2017:[11]

    Hatch contributed an editorial in The Salt Lake Tribune on January 31, 2017. In the editorial, Senator Hatch stated,[12]

    “

    On Tuesday, President Donald Trump nominated Colorado federal judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court. The president has made an inspired choice. Utahns should take heart that the man who will replace Scalia will be just as committed to the Constitution as his predecessor.

    Time and again, Gorsuch has shown that he understands the proper role of a judge under our Constitution and believes that lawmaking authority resides with the people and their elected representatives, not unelected judges ...

    [Justice] Scalia understood the proper role of the judge in our constitutional system, and Gorsuch does, too. In a speech given not long after Scalia's passing, Gorsuch said that "judges should be in the business of declaring what the law is using the traditional tools of interpretation, rather than pronouncing the law as they might wish it to be in light of their own political views."

    Like Scalia's opinions, Gorsuch's opinions evidence a focus on text and original intent. In one case, he observed that the Constitution "isn't some inkblot on which litigants may project their hopes and dreams," but rather "a carefully drafted text judges are charged with applying according to its original public meaning." On issues ranging from religious liberty to federal overreach, Gorsuch has shown a steady devotion to the Constitution and to the principle that judges are to interpret, not rewrite, the law. [3]

    		”

    Mike Lee (R)

    Senator Lee gave the following speech from the Senate floor on February 6, 2017:[13]


    Lee was interviewed on Fox News on February 2, 2017:[14]

    Lee was interviewed by Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto about the nomination.[15]

    Lee was interviewed by radio personality Mark Levin after the nomination was announced.[16]

    Lee issued the following statement on January 31, 2017:[17]

    “

    Judge Gorsuch is a tremendous pick for the Supreme Court and I look forward to doing everything I can to make sure he is confirmed by the Senate ... I’ve had the privilege of arguing before Judge Gorsuch and he is extremely impressive. He is a prepared, thoughtful, and careful jurist, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to textualism and originalism. His opinions are well-reasoned and brilliantly written, and he has enriched the Tenth Circuit’s jurisprudence in a number of areas during his ten years on the court. He is a judge’s judge, who is well within the mainstream and always decides cases based on what the law says. He also always treats the parties appearing before him with dignity and respect.

    Throughout 2016, I said the next President should pick the next Supreme Court justice. This vacancy was a central issue during the 2016 campaign and the people have spoken by electing President Trump and returning a Republican Senate majority. I applaud the President for his excellent choice, and I look forward to enthusiastically working toward Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation. [3]

    		”

    Lee, in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, suggested the Senate would confirm any nominee put forth by President Trump.[18]

    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 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. ↑ YouTube, "Recess in Review: Hatch Takes Case for Gorsuch to Utah," February 27, 2017
    6. ↑ YouTube, "Hatch Refutes Democrats' Attacks on Judge Gorsuch’s Independence," February 15, 2017
    7. ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Judge Gorsuch is the right just for America," February 14, 2017
    8. ↑ YouTube, "Senator Hatch on the Process and Substance of the Judicial Confirmation Process," February 9, 2017
    9. ↑ YouTube, "In Neil Gorsuch's America," February 1, 2017
    10. ↑ YouTube, "Senator Hatch on Greta on Gorsuch," February 1, 2017
    11. ↑ YouTube, "Hatch Praises Supreme Court Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch," January 31, 2017
    12. ↑ The Salt Late Tribune, "Hatch: Like Scalia, Gorsuch has shown steady devotion to Constitution," January 31, 2017
    13. ↑ YouTube, "Judge Gorsuch is exactly the type of judge who should be confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court," February 6, 2017
    14. ↑ YouTube, "'I am confident that we can and we will confirm Judge Gorsuch,'" February 2, 2017
    15. ↑ YouTube, "Sen. Lee: We have the tools to confirm Judge Gorsuch," February 1, 2017
    16. ↑ YouTube, "Mike Lee; 'Absolutely Ecstatic' about Gorsuch," January 31, 2017
    17. ↑ Senator Mike Lee, "Lee praises President Trump's Supreme Court pick," January 31, 2017
    18. ↑ YouTube, "'Whoever is nominated for SCOTUS will be confirmed,'" January 24, 2017
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