WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and member of the Environment & Public Works, Small Business and Finance committees, announced today that he will vote against the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States.
“Thirteen months after the death of Justice Scalia, the Senate finally completed its hearing for his replacement. I have met with Judge Gorsuch, monitored the hearings, listened to the exchanges of both Democratic and Republican senators with Judge Gorsuch, and reviewed the testimony from outside experts. Combined with what I have found in his public writings, I am greatly troubled by Judge Gorsuch’s record. His extensive legal record is peppered with examples of putting corporate interests before working Americans, showing hostility to agency decisions that protect our environment, disregard for women’s health, marginalizing students with disabilities and many more troubling decisions. While he said little of substance at his confirmation hearing, Judge Gorsuch’s record shows clearly why he was a choice candidate of the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. Despite his protestations, his record points to a jurist who has not separated his political views from his legal views. I do not believe that he would serve as an independent check on this president, who has tested the limits of the Constitution and the separation of powers in a way that no other modern president has done.
“Our next Supreme Court Justice can serve for a generation and have a profound impact on the lives of all Americans for decades to come. By recklessly blocking a vote or even a hearing on Merrick Garland, the Republican leadership has inflicted lasting damage on the Supreme Court and the independence of the federal judiciary, while diminishing the powers and duties of the Senate. Unlike Judge Garland, who was considered by almost all independent judicial scholars as mainstream, Judge Gorsuch does not enjoy a similar evaluation. For these reasons, I cannot support Judge Gorsuch’s nomination.”
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