President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court Tuesday. Gorsuch, a 49-year-old conservative from Colorado, is likely to follow the footsteps of the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Gorsuch is a strong proponent of religious liberty and will likely be less deferential toward administrative agencies, points that make him appealing to conservatives.
He also has an impressive resume, having attended Harvard, Columbia and Oxford, as well as clerking for two Supreme Court justices. Additionally, he is known as having an agreeable disposition. Many Republicans are pleased with the nomination and see it as evidence of Trump delivering on campaign promises.
While many Republicans support the nomination, Senate Democrats are less convinced. After Republicans refused to recognize Judge Merrick Garland, former President Barrack Obama’s nomination in 2016, many Democrats do not feel compelled to be charitable toward Trump’s pick.
According Ryan Owens, a professor of political science at UW-Madison, Democrats’ instinct will be to fight the nomination.
“Many [Democrats] are still smarting over the Garland affair,” Owens said. “That may not be their best strategy. If they lock up and decide not to move on this, it could be the case that they suffer electorally.”
If confirmed, Gorsuch is expected to fill Scalia’s conservative role on the court while moderate Justice Anthony Kennedy will act as the swing vote. Gorsuch, who clerked for Kennedy and has an amiable relationship with him, may be in a position to influence him.
Although Gorsuch is perceived as right-leaning, he promises to stay faithful to the Constitution during his confirmation.
“I pledge that if I am confirmed I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great country,” Gorsuch said.
Despite liberal criticism, Owens said he predicts the nomination will continue on to a confirmation with very limited objections.
“I think everybody hopes for a reasonable, thoughtful confirmation process where judges of all ideological stripes are judged on merit rather than politics. And I am hopeful that at some point in the future we can return to that point,” Owens said.
