Neil Gorsuch confirmed by U.S. Senate as next Supreme Court Justice
Washington, D.C. – On April 10, Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as the 113th justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Harriett Hageman of Hageman Law, P.C. said that she is very excited about Justice Gorsuch and his approval as a Supreme Court justice.
“He’s got a funny sense of humor in his writing, and it’s really a delight,” she said. “It’s important to listen to his words.”
Judicial decisions
Hageman explained that Gorsuch has made a number of interesting decisions and has written a number of opinions.
“In one case, Judge Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion and the concurring opinion,” she said. “I’d never seen that before.”
In the majority opinion, Hageman summarized that Gorsuch expressed concern that agencies are overruling judicial decisions through statutes, which is a situation that he called “bizarre” in a constitutional republic.
“We have three branches of government, and he’s saying that, through regulatory control, our executive branch is overturning judicial decisions,” Hageman explained.
In his concurring opinion, Hageman continued that Gorsuch emphasized that the practice of the executive branch overruling the legislative branch is wrong and further said that the practice was “more than a little difficult to square with the constitution.”
“Maybe the time has come to face this behemoth,” Gorsuch added.
Steadfast judiciary
Hageman also expressed excitement for Gorsuch because of his beliefs that the judiciary branch should remain steadfast through the changing political atmosphere.
“He says that we can’t have a 180-degree turns just for political reasons,” Hageman explained. “The judiciary should be steadfast. Our laws should always mean the same thing to the same people, and they should be applied uniformly.”
She noted that if laws aren’t applied uniformly across administrations, they are arbitrary and capricious, and as a result, constitutional rights are affected.
Overall opinions
Hageman continued that Gorsuch’s credentials are “impeccable.”
Wyoming’s Sen. Mike Enzi agreed, adding that Gorsuch is “an admirable choice, not only because of his unquestionable legal experience but because of his knowledge and understanding of the West.”
Gorsuch is a native of the West, and his mother was born in Casper.
“His family built the Wolf Hotel in Saratoga before Wyoming was even a state,” Enzi explained, “and he has served for over a decade as a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals rising from legal disputes in Wyoming and other western states.”
Enzi added that Gorsuch values and understands the Constitution, and he holds the belief that judges are obligated to apply the law, rather than rewrite the law.
To drive home this point, Gorsuch once wrote, “Indeed, a judge who likes every result he reaches is very likely a bad judge, reaching for results he prefers rather than those the law compels.”
“I wasn’t very familiar with Judge Gorsuch before this whole process,” Hageman commented. “After seeing him on the list of nominees, I did some studying as to who he was and what he is, and I’m very pleased with Judge Gorsuch and where he stands.”
Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.
