On Tuesday night, U.S President Donald J. Trump has nominated Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to fill the vacant seat in the Supreme Court left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The nomination, though, didn't come without some drama leading up to the announcement.
According to a report from the New York Times, if Judge Gorsuch is confirmed, the 5-to-4 split between the liberals and conservatives would be restored. This would give Justice Anthony M. Kennedy the swing vote. Justice Kennedy votes with both blocs.
President Trump said Judge Gorsuch possess "an extraordinary résumé" as a judge. "Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support," Trump said.
Judge Gorsuch promised to do his best in his new post. "I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great country," he said.
The report adds that Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton hailed Trump's nomination as a "major step in the right direction." He said that it was great to see someone who will follow the rule of law gets nominated.
The moment leading up to the decision to nominate Judge Gorsuch has not been without drama, though. The Atlantic reports that Trump changed the schedule of his announcement from Thursday to Tuesday evening, 8 p.m., instead of the usual middle of the work day announcement that previous presidents do.
The report said the move was calculated to change the subject away from Trump's unpopular executive order. A widespread backlash followed his weekend order regarding immigration.
It adds that Trump also asked two candidates for the post to go to Washington, which adds drama to the event. Aside from Judge Gorsuch, Judge Thomas M. Hardiman was also asked to attend.
The report also said that, though Judge Gorsuch was the consensus top candidate, it was hard to count out Hardiman, especially since Trump has been known to change his mind. Check out the full event video of Trump announcing his nomination of Judge Gorsuch below.
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