Cherylyn Harley LeBon, former Senior Counsel on U.S. Senate Judiciary and Contributing Fellow with NCPA, comments on President Trump’s Supreme Court pick:
“President Trump’s selection of Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court is a strong pick for a crucial time in our country. Gorsuch is an accomplished jurist with solid credentials as a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a Ph.D from Oxford.
Hailing from the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and a former Justice Kennedy law clerk, Gorsuch will bring a reasoned perspective to the Supreme Court. Nominated by President George W. Bush in 2006, he was confirmed without opposition to the Tenth Circuit by a voice vote of the Senate. He also earned a “unanimously well qualified” rating from American Bar Association at that time.
Despite the rhetoric in recent days, it is important that we give the Senators, and by extension, the American people, an opportunity to learn about Gorsuch’s opinions, thoughts, and views on major issues of the day. My hope is that these questions posed to Mr Gorsuch will focus on whether he will interpret and apply the law faithfully, objectively, and neutrally, no matter what the issue or his personal beliefs might be. This is what we expect from all of our Justices and what our Constitution demands.
We also hope that once the hearings have concluded, Mr. Gorsuch will be given a vote in the Senate, without any procedural delays.
I am confident that the U.S. Senate will respect the result of the election and treat our newly-elected President’s nominee in the same way the nominees of other newly-elected Presidents have been treated — and that is with careful consideration followed by an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.”