AFP, Feb. 1, 2017 – President Donald Trump nominated federal appellate judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court Tuesday, as the new Republican leader seeks to tilt the balance of the court back in the conservatives’ favor.
In a prime-time address that was part jurisprudence and part reality TV, Trump tapped the 49-year-old Gorsuch from Denver, Colorado to fill the bench slot made vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia nearly a year ago.
Like Scalia, Gorsuch is considered to be an “originalist” — guided in his legal reasoning by what he believes to be the constitution’s original intent and meaning.
The elegant, silver-haired 49-year-old with a flair for writing incisive rulings is the youngest nominee in a generation.
If confirmed by the Senate, his appointment could have a major impact on cases ranging from education to gender rights to gun control.
For Trump, the selection is payback to evangelical and conservative Republicans who backed his bit, sometimes reluctantly, for the presidency.
“Millions of voters said this was the single most important issue to them when they voted for me for president,” Trump said.
“I am a man of my word. I will do as I say — something that the American people have been asking for from Washington for a very, very long time.”
He hailed Gorsuch as a man who has “outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline, and has earned bipartisan support.”

Job for life

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of many of the most sensitive issues of American life and law.
Its members are named to life terms so their influence is long-lasting.
Gorsuch painted himself as someone who is fair-minded and self-deprecating.
Given the advanced age of several sitting justices, Trump could potentially make several appointments during his term, shaping the court’s direction for a generation.
Once confirmed, however, justices enjoy independence and some have proved politically unpredictable.
Scalia’s Supreme Court seat has been vacant since his death on February 13, 2016.
For the better part of a year, Congressional Republicans refused to give then president Barack Obama’s pick a confirmation hearing.