Senate Democrats ‘Grasping at Straws’ in Criticism of Gorsuch

Several Senate Democrats have indicated that they want an up-or-down vote on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination, and I think that's positive.

People on the right and on the left alike have acknowledged that Judge Gorsuch is an incredibly qualified nominee, a mainstream candidate, and widely recognized as such by liberals and conservatives alike. Some of our friends on the other side are grasping at straws, searching for ways to call his background or qualifications into question.

The Democratic Leader even suggested because Judge Gorsuch wouldn't answer all of his questions in a private meeting that he was somehow hiding something.

It would be completely inappropriate for any nominee for the Court to come either in a private meeting or in a public setting and say well, if I'm elected, I'll decide this case or this issue in this way. That's completely contrary to the responsibility of a judge and I think mistakes the important distinction between how judges and legislators ought to act.

Take the example of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her confirmation hearings in 1993. She said she didn't want to give any hints or previews about how she might vote on an issue before her, so she politely declined to answer those questions. Nominees have since followed her example so much that it has now become known as the Ginsburg Rule.

I hope our friends across the aisle don't somehow now take the position that Judge Gorsuch would be disqualified because he invokes the Ginsburg Rule, which all responsible judges or nominees to the Supreme Court should invoke.

Let's drop the excuses, and let's get to work.