Judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the next Supreme Court judge, replacing Judge Antonin Scalia who died in 2016.
Gorsuch received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, his law degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D in philosophy from University of Oxford. No one is doubting the man’s brain.
Ironically, his mother was the first female administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency until 1983. He has long ties with Washington, which make some folks nervous.
However, it has been said that Gorsuch is very similar to Scalia, giving every case a fair chance before making a final decision. During his time in the Circuit Court of Appeals, Gorsuch ruled in favor of liberals when he saw fit many times, even though he is described to be a pretty staunch conservative.
For liberals across America, this nomination may seem like a loss because another loyal conservative has a seat in the administration. But, when you look at some of the other people that Trump has appointed, it is most certainly a win. After seeing Stephen Bannon, Rex Tillerson and Betsy DeVos appointed, I’m more than happy to hear that Trump nominated someone that is willing to look at both sides of an issue before making a decision. This is a quality that all politicians should have, but most of them do not (including those on the left). It has even been said that he is the most likely out of all of the Supreme Court judges to actually second-guess the regulations put forth by Trump.
One small area of concern is a book that he wrote in 2006 concerning assisted suicide. He was vehemently against the notion of helping the terminally ill end their life in peace. Since then, six states have put in place laws to help these terminally ill people find their end with dignity. The issue here is not that he was wrong, but if this issue was ever taken to Supreme Court, it would be knocked down by the majority conservative court.
Another instance of an interesting ruling on the part of Gorsuch took place after a botched execution in Oklahoma. He was very much in favor of continuing to use the same method for killing prisoners after this botched execution went down, which is concerning. As someone who is a fan of the death penalty, I could not disagree with him more. I do not think that a firing squad or being hanged is a cruel or unusual punishment, so I do not understand why death by lethal concoction is even an option. Leaving any room for mistakes is cruel and unusual, especially when the prisoner suffers for hours on end before actually dying.
Judge Gorsuch has a chance to show the nation that being conservative does not mean that you have to be super right-winged, only agreeing with members of your own party. He can show us that sometimes the left is right, sometimes the right is wrong and sometimes politics need to be left out in order to make a realistic, fair decision. The only one of Trump’s nominations that I have more confidence in is Gen. James Mattis, who is a brilliant leader. Gorsuch is going to have to be able to carry a lot of weight on his shoulders for a long time, because people will judge him closer than anyone else in the Supreme Court. Still, I think he will be able to handle it.
