The Stanford Law Review published a lengthy collection of essays on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s record ahead of next week’s Senate hearings on his Supreme Court nomination.
While much work had been done comparing Gorsuch to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, the law review noted, Stanford delved into a broad array of his work including before he became a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
Mark C. Hansen, who worked with Gorsuch in private practice, wrote that the future judge stood out as “a colleague who loved the law, had great energy and enthusiasm, and wanted to learn.”
“As Neil prepares to assume the weighty responsibilities of an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, those of us who practiced with him take real comfort from our knowledge that he is principled, practical and experienced,” Hansen wrote. “His years on the front lines of active trial work sharpened his quill, and undoubtedly contributed to the elegant, lucid and direct writing style for which he has become celebrated.
“But those years in the tumultuous arena of civil litigation also grounded him in the realities of life for a wide spectrum of clients, thickened his skin and honed his judgment, and probably did much to forge his character. It is telling that the lawyers who arguably know him best, the partners who practiced with Neil — 40 Democrats, Republicans and independents — all joined in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee attesting to the intellect and character of this outstanding nominee for our nation’s highest court.”
Former 10th Circuit Judge Michael W. McConnell also wrote an essay in Stanford’s review lauding his colleague on the bench and noting that McConnell previously worked in favor of Obama-appointed Justice Elena Kagan’s confirmation.
“From his first days on the court, Judge Gorsuch was an independent thinker, never a party-liner,” McConnell wrote. “I asked my research assistant to examine every case in which Judge Gorsuch sat with a mix of Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges and reached divided conclusions. In the past five years, in almost one-third of those cases, Judge Gorsuch voted with his liberal colleagues, not with the conservatives. That is the record of a moderate, fair-minded, nonpartisan jurist.
“This is not just my opinion. Liberal and progressive law professors all over the country, not caught up in the politics of the day, have come to the same conclusion. No one agrees with all of Judge Gorsuch’s opinions. I certainly don’t. But they are without exception thoughtful, moderate and independent.”
Such praise from across the legal community’s political spectrum could come in handy for Gorsuch when the Senate begins confirmation hearings Monday.
