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Denver native Gorsuch sails through hearing for 10th Circuit

Jared A. Taylor, Scripps Howard News Service

Published June 22, 2006 at midnight

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WASHINGTON - Denver native Neil Gorsuch, nominated for a seat on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, breezed through his confirmation hearing Wednesday, with both Colorado senators appearing on his behalf.

Gorsuch was introduced by Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Allard said he supports judicial nominees who "would rule on the law and the facts before them, not judges who would legislate from the bench."

"The breadth and depth of Mr. Gorsuch's experience makes him ideally suited to serve on the federal appellate bench," he said.

Allard was joined by Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., who said he hoped that Gorsuch's judicial philosophy and opinions would surface during his confirmation.

"In addition to professional excellence as a lawyer, a judicial nominee should have a demonstrated dedication to fairness, impartiality, precedent, and the avoidance of judicial activism - from both the left and the right," Salazar said. His comments did not include a specific endorsement of Gorsuch.

Gorsuch, born in Denver, lives in Vienna, Va., near Washington, and works in the U.S. Department of Justice as a primary deputy to the associate attorney general. His late mother, Anne Gorsuch Burford, was President Reagan's Environmental Protection Agency director until she resigned in 1983.

Gorsuch wrote the forthcoming book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. According to the publisher's Web site, he presents both sides of the argument, but concludes "human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is always wrong."

In February, Gorsuch wrote an article for the National Review Online, "Liberals 'n' Lawsuits," in which he accuses Democrats of wrongly using the courts and not legislatures to decide policies.

"I don't think there is much tension between my writing and what may come between the court," Gorsuch told the committee.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who presided over the hearing, said Gorsuch would be "well-received by the committee and the Senate as a whole."

The committee still needs to hold a formal vote on the nomination. It would then go to the full Senate.

The 10th Circuit includes Colorado, six other Western states and Yellowstone National Park.