Liberal Justice Ginsburg Offers Praise For Trump’s Court Nominee
"I've worked with him ..."
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the leader of the court’s liberal wing, has voiced kind words about the jurist who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the current vacancy on the Supreme Court.
During an appearance at George Washington University on Thursday, Ginsburg said she met Judge Neil Gorsuch during a trip to England a few years ago and that she had a favorable impression of him.
“I’ve worked with him and I think he’s very easy to get along with,” she said. “He writes very well.”
Gorsuch was nominated to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year. Currently, the court is equally divided between conservative and liberals, making Gorsuch the potential tie-breaking vote.
Gorsuch must be confirmed by the Senate. Because Supreme Court nominations require a 60-vote majority, Gorsuch needs eight Democrats to join the 52 Republicans who hold the Senate’s majority.
To date, Senate Democrats have expressed their opposition to Trump by opposing his Cabinet nominees.
This past week, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y, said she believes Gorsuch will ultimately be confirmed either by getting enough Democratic votes or by the Senate adopting what is known as the “nuclear option” that would reduce the number of votes needed to confirm a Supreme Court justice from 60 to 50.
Vice President Mike Pence has voiced optimism that Gorsuch will be confirmed.
“Neil Gorsuch belongs on the United States Supreme Court,” Pence said earlier this month.
“No associate justice to the Supreme Court in American history has ever faced a successful filibuster. And Neil Gorsuch should not be the first,” he said.
“That’s why the president and I both made it clear that, one way or another, Judge Gorsuch will get an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate. And we’re confident he will be confirmed as the newest associate justice to the Supreme Court,” Pence added.
The hearing for Gorsuch will begin March 20 and could last three to four days.
“Judge Gorsuch has met every demand placed on him by the minority,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
“He’s a mainstream judge. He’s displayed independence. He’s met with dozens of senators who have nothing but positive things to say. He is well-qualified and respected. He worked diligently to return the bipartisan questionnaire. It’s time for him to have the opportunity to speak for himself before the Judiciary Committee,” Grassley said.
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