Hispanic Federation Statement on the Confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United State Supreme Court

April 7, 2017 (New York, NY) – Hispanic Federation has issued the following statement in response to the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court.

“The Hispanic Federation is deeply disappointed and concerned that the United States Senate today approved the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Republican majority in the Senate forwarded Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the full Senate after changing the rules that governed the nomination process for generations. These rules are designed to guarantee that nominees to the highest court in the land enjoy bipartisan support before moving to a full vote of the Senate, something Judge Gorsuch had not earned. In overturning the rules, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stripped the Senate of an important tradition that regularly saved the court from falling into the hands of extremists. Unfortunately, Judge Gorsuch is precisely that kind of extremist.

While no one can doubt Judge Gorsuch’s intellectual talents, his judicial philosophy and his record as a federal appellate court judge raise grave concerns about his commitment to everything from reproductive health care to campaign finance reform. In ruling after ruling, Judge Gorsuch has appealed to the extremist school of originalism to justify curtailing individual rights, chipping away at the separation of Church and State, undoing labor protections, and summarily dismissing the role of the courts in protecting civil rights.

As Hispanic Federation noted recently, Judge Gorsuch has also demonstrated a remarkable indifference to immigrants’ rights. In the case of Zamora v. Elite Logistics, Inc., for instance, Judge Gorsuch overturned a lower court ruling and found that employers could feel free to fire people they merely suspect of working illegally, even if their suspicion is the result of ignorance of the law.

During his Senate hearing, Judge Gorsuch demurred when asked how he might approach cases dealing with immigration, LGBTQ rights, and criminal justice. But while he was silent during the hearings, his record could not be clearer. That record deeply worries us and should worry all Americans who believe in a just, inclusive, and fair nation.”