Take the Neil Gorsuch Test. What do you see?
I admit seeing an exemplar of the Colorado values we natives treasure and take pride. Without making any observations about his judicial experience, philosophy or political ideology - highly relevant to his U.S. Senate confirmation process - Neil Gorsuch represents Colorado well.
On the other hand, if when you see Neil Gorsuch’s image what comes to mind is our man-baby president – then you can’t imagine casting a vote to put Trump’s nominee on the U.S. Supreme Court. The President has only one more weighty authority than making a nomination to lifetime Supreme Court appointment – taking the country to war. I can hear the groans as the collective imagination contemplates that event under this president.
Is it possible not to see Trump’s nominee when Neil Gorsuch’s face pops up before the Senate Judiciary Committee? Is Gorsuch forever tainted by his association with Trump? Millions of Americans who’re committed to resistance (#Resist) carry that belief.
The election of Donald J. Trump looks very likely to go down as America’s greatest (hopefully not gravest) error ever.
“Trump’s brought his business practices to the White House: do whatever you want and fight disenchanted victims in court.”
And millions of Americans aren’t merely experiencing some instinctual aversion. Although, this country’s political atmosphere reminds me of watching a cat trying to cough up a fur ball. The objective is to get him out, as soon as possible!
There are very serious risks associated with allowing a Trump conservative nominee onto a 4-4 tied Supreme Court. A host of substantive concerns have been raised by senators, Washington progressive organizations and research groups who have reviewed Gorsuch’s judicial decisions.
America’s gun violence prevention activist community remains very concerned about the risks of Gorsuch joining and swinging the Supreme Court. Citing the NRA’s multi-million dollar pro-Gorsuch television campaign targeting Democratic senators up for 2020 reelection, leaders Robyn Thomas and Adam Skaggs in a recent Newsweek column said, “in a closely divided Supreme Court, Judge Gorsuch could cast the deciding vote in cases challenging these fundamental gun safety laws.”
A poised and effective mother of an Aurora movie theater shooting victim, Sandy Phillips testified to her serious concern over the Gorsuch nomination, before the Senate Judiciary Committee just last week. In a follow-up op-ed, Phillips declared, “If the Supreme Court embraced the gun lobby’s extremist vision, the implications would literally be measured in lives.”
Yet, Gorsuch is poised to become the swing vote potentially causing significant social upheaval. For example, Trump’s hasty/pandering travel ban, blocked twice by different federal judges, is likely headed to the Supreme Court. And although we’re less than 3 months into his presidency, Trump signs new executive orders nearly every day, except when he stalked out of last Friday’s signing ceremony less than a minute after arriving. A line of legal challenges await state and federal courts.
Trump’s brought his business practices to the White House: do whatever you want and fight disenchanted victims in court. Except taxpayers are now paying Trump’s legal fees.
Undoubtedly Trump’s counting on his Supreme Court nominee to demonstrate loyalty and the debt owed Trump for the appointment. We already know the tweet storm awaiting a Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch who doesn’t swing the court in Trump’s favor.
Which leaves us Coloradans in a quandary. As our state’s senior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announced today, he doesn’t support the filibuster. But he didn’t go as far as committing a vote to confirm Gorsuch. Somewhere I hear millions of heaving cats.
