WASHINGTON, DC (Gray DC) — President Donald Trump finally naming his Supreme Court justice nominee. It comes almost a year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
The president choosing Colorado federal appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the empty seat, setting in motion a confirmation process expected to play out over the next few months.
President Donald Trump selecting Colorado Judge Neil Gorsuch from a list of 20 potential justices compiled during the campaign.
Gorsuch currently lives in Boulder and served a part-time instructor at the University of Colorado Law School since 2008.
If confirmed, Gorsuch would continue the ideological balance that existed before Scalia’s death, with four conservatives, four liberals and Justice Anthony Kennedy as a swing vote. Sen. Mike Crapo says he’s thrilled to see a judge nominated who will follow in Justice Antonin Scalia’s footsteps.
“I’m really happy with this nomination, as I have said for months now, we need a ninth Supreme Court Justice, who will interpret the constitution as written and who will follow the law,” Sen. Crapo said.
“I think this was the biggest thing to come out of the election, being able to choose a conservative United States Supreme Court justice, an originalist when it comes to interpretation, that is just huge for America,” Sen. Risch said.
Some Senate Democrats are expected to put up a fight over President Trump’s pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ensuring that Democrats will be thoroughly vetting Gorsuch.
“We in the Senate, have a constitutional duty to examine his record robustly, exhaustively and comprehensively."
Senators on both sides of the aisle will meet with Gorsuch ahead of confirmation hearings. Those are expected to begin in the next six weeks.
