Justice Neil Gorsuch

Justice Neil Gorsuch is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia. A proponent of textualism and originalism, his judicial philosophy aligns closely with that of his predecessor. Gorsuch's tenure has been marked by influential opinions on religious liberty, administrative law, and criminal justice.

Early life and education

Neil Gorsuch was born in Denver, Colorado, to Anne Gorsuch Burford, who later served as the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Ronald Reagan. He spent part of his youth in Washington, D.C., before attending Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland. For his undergraduate studies, Gorsuch earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University, where he was a co-founder of the newspaper The Federalist. He then received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude and serving as an editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Subsequently, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in law from University College, Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, studying under the legal philosopher John Finnis.

Legal career

After completing his education, Gorsuch served as a law clerk for Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then clerked for two Supreme Court justices, first for Byron White and then for Anthony Kennedy. Following his clerkships, he entered private practice at the firm Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick in Washington, D.C.. In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Gorsuch to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; he was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote in 2006. During his decade on the Tenth Circuit, based in Denver, he authored nearly 200 opinions and developed a reputation as a consistent, conservative jurist.

Supreme Court nomination and confirmation

On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. The nomination was praised by conservative legal groups like the Federalist Society and faced significant opposition from Democratic senators, who were critical of his judicial record. The confirmation process became contentious when Senate Democrats filibustered the nomination, leading Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to invoke the so-called "nuclear option" to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Gorsuch was ultimately confirmed by the United States Senate on April 7, 2017, by a vote of 54–45, and he received his commission two days later.

Jurisprudence and notable opinions

Justice Gorsuch is a committed textualist, emphasizing the ordinary meaning of statutory language, and an originalist, seeking to interpret the Constitution of the United States according to its original public meaning. He has authored significant majority opinions, including *Bostock v. Clayton County* (2020), where he wrote that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In *McGirt v. Oklahoma* (2020), he authored a 5-4 majority recognizing that much of eastern Oklahoma remains tribal land under an 1833 treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. He is also a frequent critic of the Chevron deference doctrine, advocating for a narrower scope of deference to federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management.

Personal life and awards

Neil Gorsuch is married to Louise Gorsuch, an Englishwoman and former equestrian he met while studying at University College, Oxford; they have two daughters. The family divides their time between Washington, D.C., and a vacation home in Granby, Colorado, where he enjoys skiing and fly-fishing. He is the author of the book *The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia*, based on his Oxford dissertation. In 2019, he received the Manhattan Institute's Alexander Hamilton Award for his contributions to jurisprudence. Gorsuch is also a member of the Episcopal Church.

Category:Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States Category:1967 births Category:Living people