Report: Donald Trump Considered Rescinding Gorsuch SCOTUS Nomination

Donald Trump

As most politically-minded Americans know, the only actual consequential thing Donald Trump has actually done in the past 11 months is have his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, confirmed to the high court.

But The Washington Post is reporting Trump considered rescinding Gorsuch's nomination after the judge told Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in a private meeting that he found Trump’s repeated attacks on the federal judiciary “disheartening” and “demoralizing.”

The president worried that Gorsuch would not be “loyal,” one of the people said, and told aides that he was tempted to pull Gorsuch’s nomination — and that he knew plenty of other judges who would want the job.

This account is based on interviews with 11 people familiar with the episode, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch’s insufficient gratitude for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, White House officials said. The judge sent the president a handwritten letter dated March 2, thanking him for the nomination and explaining how grateful he was, according to a copy obtained by The Post.

Aides said Trump did not immediately receive the note, but it was retrieved by legislative affairs director Marc Short and then viewed by Trump on March 10, helping ease his concerns.

Trump was, predictably, defensive and denied the report:

A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017

Coming from the man who has told 1700+ lies since January

— IR.net (@IRdotnet) December 19, 2017

News Round-Up: April 5, 2017

Click pic to enlarge

Some news items you may have missed:

• If you ever needed a reason to love rugby: the above pic of the Canterbury Bulldogs/Brisbane Broncos match last week has gone viral, and I'm sure you see why :)

• Eighteen Senate Republicans have penned a letter to President Trump asking him to legalize anti-LGBT discrimination.

• Even though North Carolina got past the NCAA with the fake repeal of anti-LGBT law HB2, several cities - New York City, Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Salt Lake City and Cincinnati - have not lifted their travel bans to the Tar Heel state.

• There are reports that SCOTUS nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch plagiarized parts of his 2006 book from a 1984 law review article. #RuhRoh

• President Trump says the latest use of chemical weapons by Syria's president on his own people "crossed a lot of lines" for Trump. While that sounds like he may get involved in Syria it would be a reversal for the man who encouraged President Obama to stay out of Syria during his presidency.

• Gerald McCullouch (CSI, Bear City, Daddy) recently premiered his new documentary All Male, All Nude about the backstage doings at Atlanta’s Swinging Richards, nicknamed “the only gay strip club in the heart of the The Bible Belt.” Check out the official website for more info, and you can watch the trailer below:

Matt Baume: Yes, You Do Need To Worry About SCOTUS Nominee Neil Gorsuch

Smart guy Matt Baume answers the question: Do we need to be worried about this SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch?

The answer: yes, yes you do, unless you don't like having the freedom to marry, to get medical care, to have a place to live, or to use the bathroom.

Senate Democrats Have The Votes To Filibuster SCOTUS Nominee Neil Gorsuch

Judge Neil Gorsuch accepting President Trump's nomination to U.S. Supreme Court

Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware announced today he would vote against the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

That makes Coons the 41st vote opposing Judge Gorsuch, meaning the only way Senate Republicans can confirm him would be to use the so-called "nuclear option."

That would mean changing Senate rules to allow approval of judicial nominees with only a simple majority vote of 51. Currently, such appointments require 60 votes.

While the nuclear option would solve the Republicans' problems for now, at some point in the future when Democrats regain control of the chamber, they would then have the same power to approval such nominations with a simple majority.

Last year, Senate Republicans refused to hold a vote or hearing on the nomination of Merrick Garland, who was tapped by President Obama in March after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia.

At the time, Republicans said there shouldn't be SCOTUS nominations in an election year. Democrats argued the President is elected for four years, not three. And it is part of a president's responsibilities to nominate SCOTUS replacements.

A vote on the floor of the Senate is expected on Friday.

Senate Democrats Plan To Filibuster Judge Gorsuch Nomination For SCOTUS

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

The Washington Post is reporting that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced Senate Democrats will filibuster the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch.

With a slim 52 member majority in the Senate, this move will make crossing the 60 vote procedural hurdle difficult for the Republicans.

Gorsuch “was unable to sufficiently convince me that he’d be an independent check” on Trump, Schumer said in a Senate floor speech.

Gorsuch is “not a neutral legal mind but someone with a deep-seated conservative ideology,” Schumer added. “He was groomed by the Federalist Society and has shown not one inch of difference between his views and theirs.”

The Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, was one of two organizations that provided a list of names to President Trump to consider for his Supreme Court nomination. One of the group’s top leaders, Leonard Leo, is on leave from the organization as he advises Trump on the Supreme Court confirmation process and other picks to fill vacancies on the federal appeals courts.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee became increasingly frustrated by Gorsuch’s bland answers. “You have been very much able to avoid any specificity like no one I have ever seen before,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Gorsuch: Same-Sex Marriage Is "Absolutely Settled Law" But Talking About It Would "Send Misleading Signal"

Slogging through Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's Senate hearing today, my ears did perk up on a bit of discussion on same-sex marriage.

While he acknowledged that the issue is "absolutely settled law," he seemed to muddle the issue a bit when asked how his views on marriage have changed over the years.

Gorsuch dodged the question with a distinctively vague response, saying speaking on the issue “would send a misleading signal to the American people.”

He also said, "Any revelation of my personal views about this matter would indicate to people about how I might rule as a judge. Mistakenly, but it might. And I have to be concerned about that."

Hmm....

Judge Neil Gorsuch to @SenFranken on marriage equality: "It is absolutely settled law." #GorsuchHearing pic.twitter.com/QD9bMXPBZf

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 21, 2017

I wasn't the only one who found that disconcerting.

The “scope” of Obergefell is that same-sex marriage is legal. Is Gorsuch saying that under certain conditions it’s not, and what conditions?

— Lance Arthur🏳️‍🌈 (@thelancearthur) March 21, 2017

Gorsuch:"Obergefell is settled, but there is ongoing litigation about its scope" His answer is frightening & telling https://t.co/uV4SlA8paN

— Eric Lesh (@EDLesh) March 21, 2017

SCOTUS Nominee Gorsuch Found Trump's "So-Called Judge" Comment Demoralizing And Disheartening

Judge Neil Gorsuch speaks after being nominated to the Supreme Court

According to CNN, Judge Neil Gorsuch, Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, shared with a US senator that he found Trump’s recent tweet about the a federal judge in Washington state “demoralizing” and “disheartening.”

In a meeting with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Gorsuch, who’s largely been silent since Trump nominated him last week, took exception to Trump calling a federal judge in Seattle a “so-called judge” after blocking the President’s travel ban.

“He said very specifically that they were demoralizing and disheartening and he characterized them very specifically that way,” Blumenthal said of Gorsuch. “I said they were more than disheartening and I said to him that he has an obligation to make his views clear to the American people, so they understand how abhorrent or unacceptable President Trump’s attacks on the judiciary are.”

Ron Bonjean, who is leading communications for Gorsuch during the confirmation process, confirmed Gorsuch called Trump’s tweet about the “so-called judge” “disheartening” and “demoralizing” in his conversation with Blumenthal.

It's worth noting that the more statements like this from Gorsuch are made public, the more independent he will appear during his confirmation. There's no incentive to withhold comments critical of Trump.

How Conservative Is Judge Neil Gorsuch?

The New York Times explains who and what kind of judge President Trump's nominee to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, 49-year-old Neil Gorsuch, would be.

Who is Judge Gorsuch? He has deep ties to Washington, where his mother was a high-level official in the Reagan administration. After attending Columbia and Harvard Law School, he served as a clerk for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Later, Judge Gorsuch worked in private practice and in the Justice Department.

What is his judicial philosophy? Judge Gorsuch is an originalist, meaning he tries to interpret the Constitution consistently with the understanding of those who drafted it, our writer explains.

He would be more conservative than Justice Scalia was, but less conservative than Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a study of potential nominees.

While he has not written extensively on several issues of importance to many conservatives, including gun control and gay rights, Judge Gorsuch has taken strong stands in favor of religious freedom, earning him admiration from the right.

He would be expected to vote to limit gay rights, uphold restrictions on abortion and overturn affirmative action programs.

Trump Nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch To U.S. Supreme Court

And the winner in the final "rose ceremony" in this season's SCOTUS nominee sweepstakes is...

Judge Neil Gorsuch has been nominated by President Trump to fill the vacancy left in the passing of Antonin Scalia.

From ABC News:

Gorsuch, 49, is currently a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2006 and confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote.

Gorsuch sided with Christian employers and religious organizations in the Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poor cases. The plaintiffs argued for an exemption from the contraception mandate in President Obama's signature health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act, due to religious beliefs.

In the Hobby Lobby case, Gorsuch wrote, "The ACA’s mandate requires them to violate their religious faith by forcing them to lend an impermissible degree of assistance to conduct their religion teaches to be gravely wrong.”

When it comes to criminal procedure, he dissented in the United States v. Carlos case, arguing that police officers violated the Fourth Amendment when they entered a home that had a "No Trespassing" sign posted.

If nominated, Gorsuch would be the youngest Supreme Court nominee in about 25 years.

At 49 years old, Gorsuch would be the youngest Supreme Court justice in about 25 years.

Executive Director Rea Carey of the National LGBTQ Task Force issued the following statement, via press release, regarding the nomination:

“Judge Neil Gorsuch’s record reveals a jurist who: believes that bosses should control their employees’ private health care decisions; supports the misuse of religion to legalize discrimination; and holds LGBTQ equality with disdain. He is also a darling of those who are vehemently opposed to marriage equality. He seems like someone who aligns perfectly with Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s view of the world, but is completely out of touch with the realities of most people’s lives."

BREAKING: President Trump nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, to the Supreme Court. https://t.co/PTgrqM3g9F pic.twitter.com/H5HTMsbhVL

— ABC News (@ABC) February 1, 2017