On January 31, President Trump announced his selection to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Antonin Scalia’s death in February 2016. Trump has picked Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the seat. Gorsuch has a solidly conservative record, and is often compared to Scalia. Gofsuch’s mother was the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Reagan. Judge Gorsuch served in the U.S. Department of Justice under President George W. Bush prior to joining the federal bench. He also clerked for current Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy.
Gorsuch’s nomination has been praised by Republican lawmakers, who seek a quick confirmation process. Democrats, while acknowledging that Gorsuch is qualified for the appointment, have expressed displeasure at what they see as Republicans unfairly dragging out the confirmation process for Merrick Garland, the judge selected by President Obama last March to fill Scalia’s seat. Some Democrats have gone so far as to call it a “stolen” seat, and have promised to attempt to block the confirmation of Trump’s appointee.
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