Day 14: Trump’s New Scalia

When Donald Trump announced his Supreme Court pick, the decision was greeted with immediate skepticism. Is he a racist? Misogynist? Anti-gay? White supremacist? Nickelback fan? There must be something wrong with him.

However, it seems as if the backlash, which has been merited due to Trump’s previous cabinet appointees, is undue in this case.

Judge Neil Gorsuch has been described by the Washington Post as an “intellectual giant,” and characterized as a man who “does not interrogate, much less intimidate, the lawyers who appear before him.”

In fact, Gorsuch likely brings a level of continuity to the court, as his ideology seems to be similar to that of his predecessor, Antonin Scalia. It will be likely for him to try to restrict gay rights and limit abortion access, among other hot conservative issues.

Yes, that does mean that the court’s balance will continue to swing conservative, but the power of the court will still lie with Justice Anthony Kennedy, who typically breaks partisan gridlock on the court.

Gorsuch is young for a Supreme Court justice, and at only 49 years old, he should serve for a long time. But Gorsuch is not a radical or even a questionable choice, given our state of Trump choices, and should be treated thusly.