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Grassley: Gorsuch will make a Superb Justice

 
Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
The Nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch
to Serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
“He will make a superb Justice.”
Friday, April 7, 2017
 
Before we vote on Judge Gorsuch, I'd like to discuss briefly why I’m so pleased that he’ll soon be Justice Gorsuch.
 
I opened our Judiciary Committee hearing with this. As Justice Scalia said, it is “the proud boast of our democracy that we have a government of laws and not men . . . Without a secure structure of separated powers, our Bill of Rights would be worthless.”
 
The separation of powers in our Constitution is the guardian of our liberty. Judge Gorsuch understands that. His deep understanding of the separation of powers enlivens his opinions.
 
By faithfully enforcing the boundaries among branches of the government and the power of the federal government in our lives, this Justice will ensure that the law protects our liberties.
 
And here’s the other thing that’s important about a judge who respects the separation of powers. We know he’ll be independent. He told us that he’s his own man, that no man speaks for him. He’s not beholden to the President who appointed him.
 
And his testimony shows that he’s not beholden to us, either. He wouldn’t compromise his independence to win confirmation votes. He passed the test. This is a man of integrity.
 
And his qualifications for the bench are exceptional. You know the story. Columbia University, Harvard Law School, Oxford University. Partnership at a prestigious law firm and high-level Justice Department service. And most importantly, a decade-long record of faithfully applying the law on the federal bench in 2,700 cases.
 
This brilliant, honest, humble man is a judge’s judge. And he will make a superb Justice.
 

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