“At a time when judges claim the freedom to read their personal values into the Constitution, as illustrated by the disastrous Roe v. Wade decision, Judge Neil Gorsuch’s respect for the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the preservation of self-government is necessary on the Supreme Court,” said AUL’s Clarke Forsythe.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (04-03-17) – Following the 11-9 vote by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, sending the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the full Senate, Americans United for Life Acting President Clarke Forsythe said the vote “is a step in the right direction. The Senate should vote now to confirm Judge Gorsuch, given his commendable record and respect for the rule of law—if necessary by changing the Senate’s filibuster.”
Forsythe continued: “An examination of Judge Gorsuch’s record reveals a jurist who carefully considers the laws and facts before reaching a legal judgment. That kind of measured respect for the Constitution was absolutely absent when an activist Supreme Court combined Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton to wipe out every abortion-related law in the country, establishing the Supreme Court as a National Abortion Control Board. As a result, a rarely monitored, highly secretive, and very lucrative abortion industry was able to operate in ways harmful and even deadly for women and their unborn children.”
In a letter sent to the Senate, Forsythe recommended confirmation of Judge Gorsuch, especially in light of his commitment to the original public meaning of the Constitution. Forsythe wrote that the judge’s statements made during the 2006 Senate confirmation hearing that led to his unanimous confirmation to the Tenth Circuit, were a sign of his respect for the separation of powers, which keeps the branches of government in check. Gorsuch then stated,” “Judges must allow the elected branches of government to flourish and citizens, through their elected representatives, to make laws appropriate to the facts and circumstances of the day. Judges must avoid the temptation to usurp the roles of the legislative and executive branches and must appreciate the advantages these democratic institutions have in crafting and adapting social policy as well as their special authority derived from the consent and mandate of the people, to do so.”
Throughout the confirmation process, AUL’s legal team has published analyses on the key judicial principles that impact life in the law. To learn more, go to AUL’s SCOTUS101 project here. To book interviews, e-mail [email protected]
AUL at the Supreme Court.
Since 1972, AUL has been involved in more than 100 federal and state cases across the country and internationally, including every significant abortion-related case before the Supreme Court including Roe v. Wade. AUL has filed more amicus curiae (or “friend of the court”) briefs than any other pro-life organization, further solidifying its position as the legal architect of the pro-life movement.
In 1980, Americans United for Life won a historic victory when we successfully defended the Hyde Amendment before the Supreme Court in Harris v. McRae. This important court decision upheld federal and state prohibitions on public funding of abortion except in the case of the life of the mother.
AUL’s leadership on pro-life law and policy has been recognized four times by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee when AUL was asked to address pro-life concerns in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees. AUL leaders testified during confirmation hearings for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
