UPDATES WITH QUOTES FROM SECOND SWEARING IN, EDITS SECOND PARAGRAPH ACCORDINGLY
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) – President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, was officially sworn in on Monday, ending a 14-month vacancy on America’s highest court.
Gorsuch took the first oath of office during a short, private ceremony that was later followed by a public oath taking place on a sunny spring day in the White House’s Rose Garden.
“Justice Gorsuch, you are now entrusted with the sacred duty of defending our constitution. Our country is counting on you to be wise, impartial and fair; to serve under our laws, not over them; and to safeguard the right of the people to govern their own affairs,” Trump said.
“I have no doubt that you will rise to the occasion,” he added.
Justice Anthony Kennedy administered the second oath, as the full complement of Supreme Court justices looked on.
As he takes his seat, Gorsuch will likely tilt the ideological bent of the court to conservatism after the unexpected February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia, a staunch right-winger who sat on the top court for nearly three decades.
“I won’t ever forget that the seat I inherit today is that of a very, very great man,” Gorsuch said, directly addressing Scalia’s family.
“I am humbled by the trust placed in me today,” he said.
Gorsuch, 49, has long established himself as a strict reader of the original intent of the U.S. constitution, known as originalism. He counts Scalia among his sources of inspiration.
His Senate confirmation was a flashpoint between Republicans and Democrats.
For Democrats, his nomination was a slap in the face to Chief Judge Merrick Garland, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama in March 2016.
But Garland never received a single hearing as Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell adamantly resisted any Obama nominee in the hopes of holding out for a Republican victory in last year’s presidential race.
Gorsuch’s confirmation last Friday marked the first major victory for Trump in the Republican-controlled legislature — a fact the American president took pride in during Monday morning’s ceremony.
“This is a great honor, and I got it done in the first 100 days, that’s even nice. You think that’s easy?” Trump added.
