With President Donald Trump looking on, Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, swears-in Neil M. Gorsuch to be the Supreme Court's 113th Justice during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. , on April 10, 2017. Justice Gorsuch’s wife, Louise, holds a family Bible. Photo: Shealah Craighead / White House

Law | National | Politics

President Trump disputes 'FAKE NEWS' about his Supreme Court nomination

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

President Donald Trump is denying he considered rescinding the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump questioned whether Gorsuch would be “loyal," The Washington Post reported on Monday night, citing a person familiar with the president's concerns. At issue was the nominee's comments about judicial independence.

But Trump said the story was wrong and was based on "unnamed sources." In a post on Twitter on Tuesday morning, he dismissed it as "FAKE NEWS."

"I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court," Trump wrote of Gorsuch.

A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017

As he made the rounds on Capitol Hill earlier this year, Gorsuch appeared to distance himself from Trump's attacks on other federal judges, reportedly calling them “disheartening” and “demoralizing." The White House team handling the nomination initially did not dispute the characterization of those comments at the time.

Gorsuch went on to win confirmation by a vote of 55 to 45 in the Senate. Among those voting "NAY" was Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), who had told reporters about the comments.

Gorsuch joined the Supreme Court in April with an unprecedented level of support in Indian Country. Tribes and their advocates praised his handling of Indian law cases as a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he served for a decade.

The Supreme Court has yet to issue its first Indian law ruling with Gorsuch on board. The outcome in Patchak v. Zinke, which was heard on November 7, will determine whether Congress can protect a Michigan tribe's already-operating casino from litigation.

A second Indian law case is on the horizon. Just last week, the justices agreed to hear Upper Skagit Indian Tribe v. Lundgren and determine whether the courts can decide certain types of land proceedings without the involvement of a tribal landowner. Arguments have yet to be scheduled.

Read More on the Story:
Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination (The Washington Post December 28, 2017)