Tag: SCOTUS

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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Senate Republicans: “American People Simply Will Not Tolerate” Blocking Trump SCOTUS Nominations

After absolutely NO movement on President Obama’s SCOTUS nominee for 294 days, Senate Republicans have the nerve to say “the American people simply will not tolerate” Democrats blocking Trump’s SCOTUS nominees.

Let’s remember that almost 3 million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump.

Watch Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell serve up some serious hypocrisy:

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This Week In LGBT News – Will & Grace, Aston, & Daddy The Movie

Kick back and listen in as I recap several of the top LGBT stories of the week including:

• Pansexual music artist Aston dropped her new dance single “Circles” this week

• Update to the tragic story of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who committed suicide after cyber bullying by his college roommate.

• HIV history gets a rewrite as the myth of “Patient Zero” is debunked

• The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear an important transgender rights case

• Rumors swirl about a possible Will & Grace reboot, plus Sean Hayes apologizes to LGBT community for not coming out sooner

• Randy’s interview with hunky Bear City / DADDY film star Gerald McCullouch

And much more!

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McCain: GOPers Will Unite To Oppose “Any” SCOTUS Nominee From Hillary Clinton

Sen. John McCain

CNN reports that Sen. John McCain, in an interview with 1210 WPHT Philadelphia radio, said that Republicans will oppose “any” nominee from Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up,” McCain said in comments meant to bolster the campaign of Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who is in a tight reelection race.

Hillary Clinton consistently says she’s ready to work with “anyone” in Congress on finding common ground. Considering the country is pretty fed up with a dysfunctional, partisan government, I’m not sure that’s a winning message from McCain.

And this is before we even HAVE the presidential election.

Of course, a spokesperson from McCain’s Senate office later walked back those comments:

“Senator McCain believes you can only judge people by their record and Hillary Clinton has a clear record of supporting liberal judicial nominees,” said McCain spokesperson Rachael Dean. “That being said, Senator McCain will, of course, thoroughly examine the record of any Supreme Court nominee put before the Senate and vote for or against that individual based on their qualifications as he has done throughout his career.”

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg Says Trump Is “A Faker”

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg doubled down on her criticism of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in an interview with CNN.

The 22 year SCOTUS veteran didn’t hold back as she referred to the Trumpster as “a faker.”

From Huffington Post:

“He has no consistency about him,” Ginsburg said during a talk with veteran Supreme Court reporter Joan Biskupic. “He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego.”

Trump himself jumped into the controversy on Tuesday, calling Ginsburg’s remarks in the thick of a presidential election “highly inappropriate” for a sitting Supreme Court justice.

“I think it’s a disgrace to the court and I think she should apologize to the court, Trump said, according to The New York Times. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules 5-3 Against Texas’ Abortion Restrictions

The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue of abortion for the first time in nearly a decade, and it’s good news for pro-choice supporters.

Via CNN:

In a dramatic ruling, the Supreme Court on Monday threw out a Texas abortion access law in a victory to supporters of abortion rights who argued it would have shuttered all but a handful of clinics in the state.

The 5-3 ruling is the most significant decision from the Supreme Court on abortion in two decades and could serve to deter other states from passing so-called “clinic shutdown” laws.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion, which was joined in full by Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered the swing vote on the abortion issue.

“There was no significant health-related problem that the new law helped to cure,” Breyer wrote. “We agree with the District Court that the surgical-center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an “undue burden” on their constitutional right to do so.”

There were two provisions of the law at issue. The first said that doctors have to have local admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, the second says that the clinics have to upgrade their facilities to hospital-like standards.

Donald Trump has previously stated that women should be “punished” for having abortions if it were to become illegal.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton immediately praised the ruling:

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Donald Trump Names His Top Picks For SCOTUS

In an unusual move for a presumptive presidential nominee (let alone someone who hasn’t been elected president yet), Donald Trump released a list of 11 judges he says would be his top picks for possible Supreme Court replacements.

In prefacing the list, Trump said he assembled the names “based on constitutional principles, with input from highly respected conservatives and Republican Party leadership.”

From Politico:

The roster is made up of a combination of six George W. Bush appointees to federal appeals courts and five currently serving on their states’ highest courts — not exactly extreme choices from a candidate who has run such an unconventional race.

According to the campaign, the list includes: Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado, Raymond Gruender of Missouri, Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, William Pryor of Alabama, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas.

Willett in particular caught observers’ attention for his apparent kinship when it comes to Twitter. However, his feed includes some not-so-flattering assessments of the presumptive Republican nominee, including a reference to “Darth Trump” and a haiku dedicated to the prospect of Trump packing the highest court with his picks.

Think Progress has compiled “Your Ultimate Guide” to these folks and how their histories on the bench might indicate what kind of Supreme Court Justice they might be.

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President Obama: I Will Support SCOTUS Nominee To The End Of My Term

In his first appearance on Fox News Sunday since being elected president, Barack Obama addressed the blockade in the Republican-controlled Senate currently stalling a consideration of his Supreme Court nominee, D.C. circuit judge Merrick Garland.

Via Talking Points Memo:

“I think there’s no doubt that Democrats and Republicans have gotten into a fix inside the Senate in which the confirmation process becomes too much of a tit-for-tat or becomes politicized,” Obama said on “Fox News Sunday.” “So I don’t object to Republicans saying, ‘look, Merrick Garland may be a fine man. He may be an excellent judge. But I just disagree with him philosophically on a whole range of issues so I’m going to vote against him.'”

Obama also said he believes if the confirmation process would occur, Republicans would see Garland’s outstanding qualifications and vote for him.

When asked if he would support Garland through the end of his term, Obama unequivocally said “yes.”