Barrasso: Judge Gorsuch is a Well-Qualified Pick for Supreme Court

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor in support of President Trump's nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Excerpts of Senator Barrasso's remarks:

"I also come to floor today to talk about the president's nominee for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch.

"Ever since the president made that nomination, we have had an outpouring of support for this nomination.

"And not just those of us in Wyoming, of course because his mom was born in Casper, Wyoming. But there's been an outpouring of support all across the country--actually across the globe.

"The Economist magazine, out of London, wrote, "Neil Gorsuch Is a Good Pick for the Supreme Court.'

"USA Today had a story with the headline: "Neil Gorsuch: Stellar Resume and Scalia-Like Legal Philosophy.'

"There was even an op-ed in the New York Times by a former acting solicitor general from the Obama administration.

"It was an op-ed by Neal Katyal under the headline: "Why Liberals Should Back Neil Gorsuch.'

"This top Obama administration official called Judge Gorsuch "one of the most thoughtful and brilliant judges to have served our nation over the last century.'

"He went on to say that "if confirmed, Judge Gorsuch would help to restore confidence in the rule of law.'

"That's from a former Obama administration official who knows the Supreme Court.

"I hope to be able to sit down soon with Judge Gorsuch soon to be able to talk about his views. He and I had a brief visit today as he was heading from one senator's office to another.

"Everything I have seen in his background tells me that he has the temperament and the experience to be an outstanding justice of the Supreme Court.

"His background as a judge gives us powerful evidence of the kind of justice that he will be.

"In 10 years on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, he has authored hundreds of opinions and dissents.

"This record will give senators ample evidence of exactly how Judge Gorsuch views the role of the courts in applying the law.

"From what I've seen so far, he appears to take the law and the Constitution at face value.

"He doesn't treat them like blank pages on which he can rewrite the laws the way he wishes they were.

"As he wrote in one opinion: "Often judges judge best when they judge least.'

"This view of judicial restraint -- and every example I have seen from Judge Gorsuch's record -- is squarely in the mainstream of American legal thinking today.

"You don't have to take my word for it -- there's actual data to prove it.

"There was an editorial in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, with the headline "Gorsuch in the Mainstream.'

"The editorial cites a thorough study of something like 800 different opinions that Judge Gorsuch has written since joining the court of appeals.

"Less than 2 percent of those opinions even drew a dissent from his colleagues on the bench.

"98 out of every 100 of his decisions were unanimous -- and this was on a court where seven of the active judges were appointed by Democrats and only five were appointed by a Republican.

"The Wall Street Journal says that "of at least eight cases considered by Mr. Gorsuch that were appealed to the Supreme Court, the justices upheld his result in seven.'

"Seven out of eight.

"Four of them were unanimous in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

"So if you actually look at his record, I think it's clear that this is a judge who is very much in the mainstream.

"CNN did a story on Judge Gorsuch, and they said that he is "a laid back, fly-fishing, fourth-generation Coloradan who also happens to have an Ivy League education, a brilliant legal mind, and an established judicial record.'

"Now I've mentioned his established legal record -- and I think it's also important that he's a fourth generation Coloradan.

"He would bring to the Supreme Court a much-needed perspective from the Rocky Mountain West.

"Among the current justices, only Justice Clarence Thomas is from somewhere other than New York or California.

"Now it's important that we get this kind of viewpoint on the court.

"Judge Gorsuch is smart, fair, very well qualified.

"CNN mentioned his education, and it really is very impressive.

"Columbia University.

"Harvard Law School.

"A Marshall Scholar at Oxford University.

"He was also confirmed to the Circuit Court by a unanimous voice vote of the United States Senate right here.

"None of this seems to matters to the Democrats today.

"Not the intelligence, not the distinguished career, not that he is squarely in the mainstream, none of it matters to some of my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle

"They've been sharpening their knives for anyone --anyone the president might nominate, regardless of their qualifications.

"They wrote their press releases months ago -- full of attacks on a person most of them had never met.

"It's what Democrats always do when a Republican president nominates someone to the Supreme Court, it's exactly what they promised to do this time as well.

"Even before President Trump was inaugurated, Democrat leader Chuck Schumer said that his party would fight "tooth and nail' to block the nominee.

"He said he was going to do his best to "keep the seat open.'

"Senator Schumer met with Judge Gorsuch the other day. He complained that the judge did not answer questions about some issues that are in the news and before the courts.

"Things like the so-called Muslim ban.

"Well, according to the Code of Conduct for United States Judges --the Code of Conduct for judges --a judge is actually prohibited from making a "public comment on the merits of a matter pending or impending in any court.'

"Well, there are certainly ongoing court cases about a number of things that Senator Schumer asked about.

"So I think it's a very good sign that Judge Gorsuch would refuse to comment on them.

"Democrats in the Senate are being told by the far-left elements of their political base to try to block this nominee -- and many of these senators are doing everything that they can to comply.

"Liberal activists have been planning a multimillion dollar lobbying campaign against this nominee or any nominee ever since Election Day.

"The reaction of these activists on the left has been hysterical, it's been irrational, and it's been disgraceful.

"I hope that Democrats in the Senate will reject the calls from their base, and will give this nominee a chance.

"I hope that they'll take the time to consider his qualifications -- and that they'll actually sit down to talk with him before they rush to condemn him.

"I know I look forward to sitting down with the nominee, and to discussing his views more fully.

"Everything I've seen, Mr. President, so far suggests to me that it will be a very good conversation."

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