Judge Sentelle Clerks Write Letter Endorsing Judge Gorsuch
March 17, 2017
To keep up with conservative & legal experts on Twitter follow:
For the latest on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination: www.confirmgorsuch.com
3 Days until Senate Judiciary Committee hearing begins
- Niels Lesniewski writes in Roll Call that former law clerks to Judge David Sentelle signed a letter endorsing Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Roll Call: Fellow Clerks Push Gorsuch Confirmation
“Dozens of former law clerks of federal appeals judge David Sentelle have written to the Senate calling for quick confirmation of their onetime colleague Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. ‘We work for law firms, public interest groups, private companies, government entities, and academic institutions. What unites us is our firm conviction that Judge Gorsuch is eminently qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court,’ wrote the 60 Sentelle clerks. The clerks said they hailed from different points on the political spectrum but all endorsed Gorsuch, who clerked for Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1991 to 1992… ‘Of the many lessons we learned while clerking for Judge Sentelle, the most important was about the judicial role. A judge’s job is to interpret the law as written, fairly and impartially, not manipulate it to advance his or her own agenda. Judge Gorsuch obviously took the lesson to heart, for this is exactly the kind of judge he’s been on the 10th Circuit,’ the clerks wrote. ‘We have no doubt that he’ll be the same kind of justice on the Supreme Court.’”
- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the longest-serving member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, previews the confirmation hearing for well-qualified Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch in USA Today.
Hatch: What to expect in Gorsuch confirmation hearing
“In next week’s confirmation hearing, Judge Neil Gorsuch should be spared the political pile-on that has crushed the hopes of past nominees. In Gorsuch, the Senate has before it a highly respected and indisputably qualified candidate for the Supreme Court. I hope that his upcoming confirmation hearing will be both fair and productive… Gorsuch has an exceptional legal background that fully qualifies him to serve on the Supreme Court… Next week’s hearing will not only focus on Gorsuch’s legal credentials; it will also emphasize his impeccable character and his principled approach to judging. Gorsuch’s opinions show that he understands the proper role of a judge in our Constitutional system, and he frequently supports his reasoning with reference to fundamental constitutional principles. Instead of manipulating the law to achieve particular policies or outcomes he favors, he tries to harmonize the law with the understanding of those who originally wrote and passed it. Through this impartial approach, Gorsuch has shown respect for the democratically elected branches of government and the constitutionally prescribed separation of powers… I have full confidence that when Gorsuch’s hearing is over and the last question has been asked, he will have shown the Senate that he is ready to serve on the Supreme Court.”
- Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) writes a letter in the Florida Times-Union making the case that the Senate should vote to confirm Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Rep. DeSantis: Senate should confirm Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court
“In nominating Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump handled his most consequential choice to date with all of the seriousness it demanded. The former acting solicitor general to President Barack Obama offered the consensus view, calling the nominee ‘an extraordinary judge and man…’ To any objective reader, Gorsuch’s opinions on the Court of Appeals reveal a formidable and disciplined mind at work. Where the requirements of the Constitution and laws are clear, he applies them faithfully and straightforwardly. He has joined rulings on landmark religious-freedom cases, upholding the right of conscience against government infringement. In cases of regulatory overreach by the EPA and other federal agencies, he has consistently restrained bureaucratic action from exceeding congressional mandates… It’s the kind of record we should expect in a Supreme Court nominee, displaying an approach to the law that is consistent without being doctrinaire, firm but always fair. And these are the qualities that Senate Democrats will see in Gorsuch to the extent they are willing to give him a fair hearing and vote on the merits alone.”
- Intellectual property litigator and self-described “progressive Democrat” Christian Mammen outlines the reasons he supports Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court in a column for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Mammen: Here’s why I support Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court
“To those who worry that Justice Gorsuch would make ideologically driven decisions, I offer his own statement at his nomination: ‘A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge — stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands.’ This is not mere window-dressing. As someone who sat in the Oxford law library with him, day after day, both of us working to develop and refine arguments sound enough to pass an Oxford doctoral examination, I say with assurance that Neil Gorsuch has not only the commitment, but the intelligence, training and discipline to get the legal analysis right. And he has the humility and generosity to give all sides a fair and respectful hearing. Speaking as a progressive Democrat, I encourage all sides in the Senate — and the nation — to give Judge Gorsuch a fair and respectful hearing as well.”
