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Following opening statements by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch will deliver his opening statement at his confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the committee, said Gorsuch’s record demonstrates “an unfailing commitment” to the “constitutional order and the separation of powers.” Judicial independence is one of the ideals that “enlivens [Gorsuch’s] body of work,” Grassley said in his opening statement on Monday.
Gorsuch served as an appeals judge for the 10th Circuit in Colorado. At 49, he is among the youngest Supreme Court nominees ever and could have a strong presence on the court for decades.
Even before the president made his choice, senators set the stage for the second-straight year of partisan clashes over the seat, left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump has said Gorsuch, who cites Scalia as an inspiration, “has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support.”
Conservatives have praised Gorsuch for what they say is the application of that theory on religious issues, such as when he ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby, a company that opposed parts of the Affordable Care Act that compelled coverage of contraception. In statements praising him after the nomination, key Republican lawmakers also highlighted what they called his close reading of text of the law.
— CNBC’s Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.