ACLU Statement on Nomination of Neil Gorsuch to U.S. Supreme Court

2/1/2017
CONTACT: Gabriela Melendez, 202-715-0826, [email protected]

NEW YORK — American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony D. Romero issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court:
“Americans need an independent Supreme Court justice who will defend our hard-won civil rights and civil liberties and stand up to overreaching executive actions. The Supreme Court has a special obligation under our Constitution to protect the rights of all people to equal treatment, of women to control their reproductive choices, and of everyone to privacy and free expression.
“Judge Gorsuch’s record, including his decision in the Hobby Lobby case, raises questions about whether he would allow businesses and individuals to opt out of nondiscrimination laws based on religious objections. And his commitment to an ‘originalist’ theory of constitutional interpretation that disregards our nation’s evolving understandings of constitutional rights is also of concern. We look forward to a fair and full public discussion of his record. After unnecessarily holding open a vacancy on the Supreme Court for nearly a year under President Obama, any effort now by Senate Republicans to rush this process should be resisted.”
As a matter of organizational policy, the ACLU does not oppose or support presidential nominees.