Trump’s Supreme Court pick praised by NC Republicans, panned by Democrats | Charlotte Observer

North Carolina’s congressional lawmakers Tuesday hailed President Donald Trump’s choice of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court while two of the state’s Capitol Hill Democrats urged their Senate counterparts to vigorously fight the nomination.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Gorsuch “an incredibly qualified and mainstream choice” to fill the court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February.

Gorsuch, 49, is a judge on the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10^th Circuit, which covers Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Oklahoma. If confirmed, he would become the youngest justice on the Supreme Court.

“He has proven himself to be a judge who approaches every case before him with fairness, and bases his decisions on the rule of law,” Tillis, R-N.C., said in a statement. “I hope my colleagues in the Senate, regardless of party, will join me in thoughtfully considering Judge Gorsuch as our next Supreme Court Justice.”

Like Tillis, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., described Gorsuch as “a mainstream jurist.” He noted that the Senate confirmed Gorsuch for the U.S. Court of Appeals post in 2006 without opposition.

“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly expressed his desire to have nine justices serving on the Supreme Court,” Burr said. “Now that the American people have spoken (and) the president has nominated a mainstream jurist, I am hopeful that the Senate will come together and swiftly confirm Judge Gorsuch.”

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee, tweeted that “in replacing Justice Scalia, it is only fitting to find a strict constitutionalist who knows the value of every life. Gorsuch does.”

Schumer, D-N.Y., quickly indicated that Senate Democrats are prepared to wage a fight over Gorsuch’s nomination, arguing that the “Senate must insist upon 60 votes for any Supreme Court nominee, a bar that was met by each of President (Barack) Obama’s nominees.”

“The burden is on Judge Neil Gorsuch to prove himself to be within the legal mainstream and, in this new era, willing to vigorously defend the Constitution from abuses from the Executive branch and protect the constitutionally enshrined rights of all Americans,” Schumer added. “Given his record, I have very serious doubts about Judge Gorsuch’s ability to meet this standard.”

Reps. Alma Adams, D-N.C., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., echoed Schumer’s concerns.

“In an age where President Trump has shown his willingness to test the Constitution and the separation of powers, it is more important than ever to appoint a Supreme Court justice … (whose) first and only priority is to uphold the Constitution,” Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., said in a statement. “Based off of Judge Gorsuch’s past judicial record, I have deep concerns he will put big business ahead of the rights of American workers and attack woman’s choice.”

Butterfield, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, recalled that Republican senators refused to move on Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to Supreme Court in the closing months of his presidency. He urged the Senate “to apply close scrutiny” to Gorsuch’s nomination.

“I cannot stress enough that our fundamental liberties are at stake with there being crucial cases sitting before the Supreme Court,” Butterfield said. “With the addition of conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch to our highest court, I have serious questions on the future protections to women’s rights, environmental protections, voting rights, and workers’ rights.”