Monday’s groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling that workers cannot be fired for being transgender or gay was a surprise to many social conservatives for one reason: The majority opinion was authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch.

In the eyes of Republicans, Gorsuch was one of the first successes of the Trump administration. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 meant the outcome of that November’s presidential election would be more important than ever. No matter what, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump would be appointing at least one individual to the highest court in the land. Conservatives wanted to make sure the court balance remained the same. If any Republican voter was initially reluctant to support Trump, their fears were eased by the assurance of a forthcoming Supreme Court appointment.