President Donald Trump has tapped federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to be the next member of the Supreme Court.
Gorsuch will be filling a seat that has sat vacant for nearly a year, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
Supporters of Trump argue that the pick fulfills an early campaign promise to nominate a conservative judge, with a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
“He is certainly what president Trump promised. He is in the mold of Antonin Scalie and I hope he’s confirmed very soon and gets to work on the Supreme Court,” said Governor Phil Bryant.
Gorsuch has a legal pedigree that few could best. He clerked for two Supreme Court justices, Anthony Kennedy and Byron White. He also clerked for conservative Judge David Sentelle on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circut. Gorsuch holds a law degree from Harvard University and earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University.
“I commend President Trump for his nomination of Judge Gorsuch to serve on the United States Supreme Court,” said U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. “Filling the seat left open by Justice Scalia was a critical issue for many voters in the presidential election. It is now time for the Senate to act. I look forward to the confirmation process and the prospect of having a nine-member Supreme Court that will decide cases based on the Constitution.”
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker had similar praise.
““When voters chose Donald Trump to be President, they made it clear that the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled by a jurist in the conservative mold of Justice Antonin Scalia,” said Wicker. “President Trump’s choice of Neil Gorsuch meets that high standard. Judge Gorsuch is known for his mainstream, principled opinions. I am hopeful that he will receive a fair and timely confirmation process based on his record rather than partisan conjecture.”
Outside of law, Gorsuch published the 2006 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, defending the value of human life and criticizing the practice.
