On February 1, 2017, Judge Neil Gorsuch who is currently a member of the 10 U.S. Court of Appeals here in Colorado was nominated by the President to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Judge Gorsuch is a Colorado native and, assuming he is confirmed will fill the vacancy created by the untimely death of the late Justice Scalia, he will become only the second Coloradan to serve on the Supreme Court.  I am extremely pleased that the President chose a Coloradan for this important position and I strongly believe that Judge Gorsuch will serve our nation well as a Supreme Court Justice.  As a member of the House of Representatives, rather than the U.S. Senate, I do not have a vote on Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation, but I am very confident that my Senate colleagues on the other side of the Capitol will ultimately recognize Judge Gorsuch’s strong qualifications and confirm him.

As a nation of laws, it’s crucial to have a strong Supreme Court composed of extraordinarily qualified individual Justices. The Supreme Court fills a vital role in our constitutional system of government and is key to our system of checks and balances between government branches.  This is why the careful selection, vetting, and confirmation of the individuals who serve on this court is so important.

At 49 years, Judge Gorsuch is a somewhat younger Supreme Court nominee, but as noted by his colleagues, his age comes at no loss for knowledge or experience.  Judge Gorsuch spent most of his youth here in Colorado but completed high school in Washington, DC after moving there when his mother was named by Ronald Reagan as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  For college he completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University, Judge Gorsuch attained his law degree at Harvard Law School,  and later received a Doctorate in from Oxford University.

Upon receiving his law degree, Gorsuch was selected for several important clerkships. First he clerked for U.S Court of appeals under Judge David Sentelle, and later for Supreme Court Justices Byron White (the first Coloradan to serve on the Supreme Court) and Anthony Kennedy. After working as a practicing attorney in the private and public sector, Judge Gorsuch was nominated to the 10^th Circuit by President George W. Bush and confirmed to his current judgeship unanimously. In addition to his legal career, Judge Gorsuch has made a concerted effort to give back to his community. He has served as a part-time instructor at the University of Colorado Law School since 2008 and frequently gives up his weekends to judge high school students in Court competitions.

I am heartened to have a fellow Coloradoan nominated to serve on the nation’s highest court, and am equally excited to have someone who will uphold our constitution and the rule of law, as the nominee from the current administration. Over the course of Judge Gorsuch’s sterling career, he has received overwhelming bipartisan support and recognition as a judge who understands and respects the Constitution as written. He is also known for the clarity of his writing and admired for the legal analysis on which he bases his legal opinions. It is my expectation that Judge Gorsuch will make Colorado proud as the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.