NILC Responds to Confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Senate today confirmed Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States. Gorsuch will take the seat left vacant since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016.

Gorsuch’s confirmation hearings were marked by his refusal to address in any meaningful way basic questions about his record and ability to act independently of politics. When Republicans in the majority failed to secure the 60 votes previously required for confirmation, they chose to throw out longstanding Senate rules, lowering the threshold for confirmation to a simple majority.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“The confirmation of a Supreme Court justice is always a momentous occasion. Unfortunately for Judge Gorsuch, the shameful political maneuvering that secured his seat in the high court will forever mar his place in history.

“The extreme partisanship that led to Gorsuch’s confirmation is far from what the American people deserve from those they elected to make critical decisions that directly impact their well-being. The lack of transparency that marked Gorsuch’s confirmation hearings and the rule change made to accommodate his divisive ideology will undoubtedly have a lasting eroding effect on our democratic institutions.

“At a time when the importance of checks and balances to uphold the Constitution and our most sacred American values has never been clearer, Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation will go down as a failure of our democratic process.”

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