Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask to speak as in morning business for up to 5 minutes.

Madam President, I rise today to discuss President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch.

As you know, the vacancy exists because last year Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly at the age of 79, leaving an unexpected vacancy on our Nation's highest Court.

As I said at the time of his passing, replacing Justice Scalia, one of the Court's strongest defenders of our Constitution, would be extremely difficult. For nearly three decades, with his brilliant legal mind and animated character, Justice Scalia fiercely fought against judicial activism and legislating from the bench. To say our next Justice has big shoes to fill would be an incredible understatement. That is why the decision was made early on by Leader McConnell and others to give the American people a voice in this process, by waiting to confirm the next Justice until the 45th President was in office and able to nominate someone him or herself. We held that belief, even when it looked like our party would not win the Presidency.

As we have been reminded before, elections have consequences. The American people chose to elect President Trump, who throughout his campaign said that he would nominate someone in the mold of the late Justice Scalia. With his pick of Judge Gorsuch, President Trump made an excellent choice in fulfilling that promise. We believe Judge Gorsuch espouses the same approach to constitutional interpretation as Justice Scalia and has a strong understanding of federalism upon which our country is built.

Because the current makeup of the Court is evenly split between conservative- and liberal-leaning Justices, this ninth spot is as important as it has ever been. The next Justice has the potential to hold incredible influence over the ideological direction of the Court for a generation to come. The Supreme Court is the final authority for interpreting Federal laws and the Constitution. It is one of the most important responsibilities found within our federalism.

Since our very first Supreme Court--Justice James Wilson took the oath of office in October of 1789--there have been just 112 Justices to serve on the Court. These lifetime appointments are established under article III in the Constitution and are the ultimate authority over all of the Federal courts and State court cases involving Federal law.

Since it was established, the decisions the Supreme Court has made have guided and altered the course of our Nation. The decisions it makes often have long-lasting ramifications, that in one vote can dramatically alter the course of our country. Based on what I know of Judge Gorsuch, I believe he has the aptitude for this lifetime appointment. He is greatly respected on both sides of the aisle. In fact, he was previously confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit unanimously, and not a single Republican or Democratic Member of the Senate dissented. As such, we expect the Senate will continue its tradition of approving highly competent, qualified individuals to the Supreme Court in an up-or-down vote, following a thorough vetting process.

I thank President Trump for nominating to the Supreme Court a judge who has lived up to the Scalia gold standard. I also thank the American people who voted in November in support of our efforts to retain Scalia's legacy on the Court when his replacement is confirmed.

Perhaps most importantly, I thank Judge Gorsuch for his lifelong commitment to defending our Constitution and applying the law as it was written. If confirmed, I am confident he will be an outstanding member of the U.S. Supreme Court.

I yield the floor.

I move to lay that motion on the table.

The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.