President Donald Trump has nominated Federal Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. Here are the five most important things you need to know about him:
1) He's young... like, really young.
When President George W. Bush nominated John Roberts to the high court, much was made about his relative youth at age 50. The idea was that, at his age, Roberts would have the unique opportunity to set legal precedents for almost 40 years or so. Gorsuch is even younger at 49, and you can be sure his age will be simultaneously seen as a positive to the conservatives who will want him to enjoy a long tenure on the court and a negative to the liberals who will fear the extensive legacy Gorsuch would likely be granted if confirmed.
2) He has the perfect credentials.
It may seem like it goes without saying that all Supreme Court nominees graduated from excellent schools, clerked with impressive judges, and have plenty of experience on the federal bench. But that's simply not the case as we learned when President Bush first nominated Harriet Miers during his second term, before she quickly withdrew because of questions about her lack of qualifications.
And President Richard Nixon suffered the embarrassment of having two of his Supreme Court nominees rejected by the Senate because of serious questions about their credentials as well. Gorsuch fills all the requisite boxes: Columbia undergrad, Harvard Law, clerk for two Supreme Court justices, and has been a federal judge for years.
3) He is a Scalia clone.
President Trump has nominated Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Gorsuch has often been described as a conservative judge, very much in the mold of Scalia. In fact, Gorsuch felt such a connection with Scalia that he says he wept when he learned of his death last year. Conservatives who felt a similar connection to Scalia will feel it's only right that Gorsuch is succeeding him. And liberals who long loathed the more intellectually conservative Scalia will be predictably annoyed that he's virtually returned in a younger form.
4) He's pro-life, but not in the way you think.
Gorsuch has not issued any major opinion or written directly about abortion or Roe v. Wade. The agonizing litmus test on the abortion issue will thus be hard to apply to Gorsuch, and this will make his confirmation process somewhat easier for him.
However, Gorsuch has been outspoken on the issue of euthanasia and end of life issues. He has set himself apart from most of even the most scholarly judges by writing a philosophical book about these topics, based on political theory and ethics. As impressive as it is, this will still enrage liberals and others who believe in the right to die.