WASHINGTON — (AP) Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch faces hours of questioning from senators as frustrated Democrats are determined to press him on everything from abortion and guns to his independence from President Donald Trump.
Gorsuch said he won’t weigh in with his personal views on Roe vs. Wade or any other Supreme Court decision in his confirmation hearing.
Gorsuch was asked by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley to discuss the case that legalized abortion nationwide. The nominee would only say it’s a court precedent that has been reaffirmed many times. He gave similar answers to Grassley’s questions about other important cases on such subjects as guns and campaign finance.
Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch says President Donald Trump didn’t ask him to overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe vs. Wade when he interviewed him before his nomination.
Gorsuch added that he “would have walked out the door” if Trump had asked him that.
The nominee added that making such promises is “not what judges do.” The comments came under questioning from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Gorsuch has strong support from conservative groups who support overturning Roe vs. Wade. But the appeals court judge hasn’t ruled directly on abortion, and he said earlier that he wouldn’t weigh in with his personal views on that case or any other Supreme Court decision during his confirmation hearing.
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Gorsuch said if he were to discuss those cases, “I would be tipping my hand and suggesting to litigants that I have already made up my mind about cases.”
He added: “I think that’s the beginning of the end of the independent judiciary.”
Grassley also asked Gorsuch to explain his view of judicial independence.
Gorsuch said he has no trouble ruling against anyone, even President Donald Trump, if that’s what the law requires and that he has “no difficulty ruling against or for any party.”
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Gorsuch said several cases in which he has ruled for corporations over workers “don’t represent the body of my work.”
Democrats at his confirmation hearing are pointing to cases that include a ruling against a truck driver who claimed he’d been fired for abandoning his truck when it broke down in the cold.
Gorsuch said he has participated in 2,700 opinions, and he often ruled “for the little guy instead of the big guy.”
Those include a case where Colorado landowners are settling with the state over improper handling of nuclear weapons waste, a pregnancy discrimination case and other pollution and harassment cases, he said.
He said he’d like to convey that he is “a fair judge.”
Gorsuch said he can’t comment on whether former Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland was treated fairly.
Garland was originally nominated for the seat by former President Barack Obama, but he was blocked by Senate Republicans who said the next president should make the pick.
Gorsuch declared that he “can’t get involved in politics,” in response to a question from Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. The nominee added that it would be “imprudent” for him to discuss political disputes.
Many Democrats are still furious that Republicans blocked Garland, and several have mentioned his failed nomination in their statements and questioning.
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