but anthony kennedy is the decider, the swing vote on the court. so if the conservatives get that seat, it's a whole new supreme court in every sense. so the theory of, that what michael is talking about is that anthony kennedy would look down the bench and see neil gorsuch and think there's goes the neighborhood i better stay. on the other hand he would say well, this guy was a former clerk of mine. i guess i can defer to him now. i don't know. i've talked to some people in the process who strongly deny that was any kind of a factor but others who say it might have been. surf we know that we have quite the confirmation process ahead of us. >> six weeks from now. susan: we have to leave it there. thanks, everybody, for being here. i appreciate it. >> thank you. susan: our conversation will continue on line on the "washington week" extra where we'll talk about president trump's unconventional remarks at the national prayer breakfast and the influential role of another top white house advisor. find that on the "washington week" extra at pbs.org/"wash

only anthony kennedy can know what anthony kennedy is thinking, but i hope he realizes that he is the only thing standing between donald trump right now and trump being able to do more or less whatever he wants. and if he wants to continue to be a check on this president, he needs to not give the president the supreme court. amy: i want to ask about what happened last year with merrick garland, president obama's scalia afterplace he died. this is president obama speaking last march when he made the nomination. pres. obama: ask republicans in the senate to give him a fair hearing, and then an up or down vote. if you don't, then it will not only be an abdication of the senate's constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. the reputation of the supreme court will inevitably suffer. faith in our justice system will inevitably suffer. ultimatelycy will suffer as well. amy: that was president obama last march when he nominated merrick garland. nan aron, the significance of what took place over this last year? senators, the ameri

only anthony kennedy can know what anthony kennedy is thinking, but i hope he realizes that he is the only thing standing between donald trump right now and trump being able to do more or less whatever he wants. and if he wants to continue to be a check on this president, he neededs to not give the presidit the supreme court. amy: i want to ask about what happened last year with merrick garland, president obama's scalia afterplace he died. this is president obama speaking last march when he made the nomination. prpres. obama: ask republicans n the senate to give him a fair hearing, and then an up or down vote. if you don't, then it will not only be an abdication of the senate's constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. the reputation of the supreme court will inevitably suffer. faith in our justice system will inevitably suffer. ultimimately will suffer as s well. amy: that was president obama last march when he nominated merrick garland. nan aron, the significance of what took place over this last year? senators, the a

host: aside from anthony kennedy, is judge gorsuch a known commodity among the justices? guest: he is certainly unknown commodity. a number of his law clerks have clerked for the supreme court, so he is somewhat of a feeder judge of the supreme court. we talked about how a couple of his opinions have been up to the supreme court. they are familiar with his work. host: from los gatos, california, independent one, barbara. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have a couple of questions for clarification. we hear discussion about an originalist. from a layman's perspective, what does that really mean? ans that mean that originalist goes back to the original constitution? if so, what does that mean to the amendments that came after? do the amendments really mess it all up? number 2 -- what has been his position relative to corporations? is he more inclined to lean toward decisions of corporations? -- last one is in regards to last night i was reading about lawral decisions involving enforcement. it appears as though he has a tendency to frequently agree or lean towards pre

with justin anthony kennedy, 80 years old the swing vote. ified in opposing. stay cult young, 49 years old. see him serving three decades on the court if confirmed. >> this guy is a normal dude. right, the guy, go have a beer with, right. he skis, fly fishes, normal guy, wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters family man. kind human being. genuine. >> conservative? >> conservative, mainstream, heart land of mainstream. >> for president trump and for any president the nomination of a supreme court justice is within of his most lasting legacies reaching into the decades beyond his presidency. i'm terry moran at the supreme court. >> should mention, you night have noticed there, president trump's announcement was his first primetime address, moving it from day tonight for a desired effect we assume. >> abc's stephanie ramos live at the supreme court. stephanie, sound like a lot of planning went into thi >> reporter: yeah, definitely. i mean they have been working on this for weeks, months. we have heard president trump, you know, months prior talking abut this on

he did talk about clerking for anthony kennedy. if he is confirmed, we believe he would be the first supreme court justice in american history to serve alongside a justice for whom he once clerked. so that would be very unusual. if the name gorsuch is unusual to him, his mother ann gorsuch was appointed e. pap.a. the administrator. >> the democrats would oppose anyone they think is out of the main stream. looking at what we know about judge gorsuch, is that an easy one for the democrats to block? >> in a normal political environment, i would say no. the antagonistic relationship that already seems to be between senate democrats and the trump white house. this should be a layup. he meets all the criteria. but i think this is going to be a noisy confirmation. it will get confirmed but it will be noisy. i have to say, i thought he made an incredible first impression and i think he will make very good one-on-one impression with a lot of the democratic senators. i think it will be much harder for them to unify and be against and force a

the fact is he mentioned that he had clerked for justice anthony kennedy. justice kennedy went to denver when he was sworn in, so he's friendly person for justice kennedy, and the conservative groups are really looking for the next chess move. this, remember, is replacing a conservative justice scalia with, obviously, another conservative. what the conservative groups really hoped for is to get one of the seats of somebody who is going to retire soon, and they wonder when that's anthony kennedy, and they hope by putting neil gorsuch on the court, doesn't make kennedy think, uh-oh, there goads the neighborhood. i better stay. >> nina, in your view, is this net-net, unchanged, status quo, basically going from scalia gorsuch if confirmed? >> i'm sure there's some issues on which they disagree and would have different outcomes, but, basically, this is a conservative seat that will be occupied by a conservative if he's confirm, and if he's not confirmed, they'll name another conservativ this is going to be a conservative seat. pete is right, though. the next bat

anthony kennedy, a reagan appointee, and byron white who was nominated by jfk. judge gorsuch received a unanimously well-qualified rating by the american bar association when he was nominated to his current position on the court of appeals. he was confirmed without any votes in opposition. that is right, madam president, not a siegel democrat opposed -- not a single democrat opposed judge gorsuch, not senator barack obama, hillary clinton, joe biden or ted kennedy. in fact not a single one of the democrats that still serve with us opposed him, including the ranking members of the judiciary committee, senator schumer. in the coming days, i hope and expect that all senate colleagues will give him their consideration, just as we did for newly elected -- newly nominated presidents clinton and obama. this is the judge who is known for deciding cases based on how the law is actually written, not how he wishes it were written. even when it relates -- leads to results that conflict with his personal political police -- believes. here is how judge gorsuch put it himself.

he went on to clerk for two supreme court justices, including justice anthony kennedy. at 49 years old, he is the youngest nominee to the supreme court in 25 years. >> a judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge. stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands. >> i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money. but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions, and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. >> this event just ended and it really had a total lights, camera, action feel. this was a campaign promise he'd made, talking about nominating a supreme court justice. he's hoping, he says he has more than one. >> reporter: the response to president trump's pick came in fast and furious tonight. just minutes after he began his remarks the democratic national committee issued their own statement. we cannot afford a supreme court justice who doesn't have the utmost respect for constitutional values of liberty, equality, a

after law school he clerked on the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume, as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in both harvard prison lgal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. brilliance being assured, i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he is the man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senator leadership. i only hope that both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. my god bl

he went on to clerk for two supreme court justices, including justice anthony kennedy. at 49 years old, he is the youngest nominee to the supreme court in 25 years. >> a judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge. stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands. >> i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money. but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions, and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. >> this event just ended and it really had a total lights, camera, action feel. this was a campaign promise he'd made, talking about nominating a supreme court justice. he's hoping, he says he has more than one. >> reporter: the response to president trump's pick came in fast and furious tonight. just minutes after he began his remarks the democratic national committee issued their own we cannot afford a supreme court justice who doesn't have the utmost respect for constitutional values of liberty, equality, and justice

clerking primarily for justin anthony kennedy. he has developed a reputation before he became a lawyer then as a lawyer here in dc. as a highly respected colleague. not only because of his sharp intellect but because of his penalty. -- personality. you're going to see people on both sides of the aisle come out and say very good things about him. then when he got on the bench, people saw him as being able to build coalitions. in many ways, this is an establishment pick. he is very much in the mold of a supreme court justice. you know out of central casting with that ivy league pedigree. the philosophy degree from oxford. you saw president trump making the case for him already. he's almost saying like look, this is a guy. this looks like a supreme court justice and his record is exactly like a supreme court justice would have. of course this will not change the balance of the supreme court. and i think that's important to keep in mind. he's replacing that conservative icon. justin antonin scalia. >>> now let's go back to the east ro

the fact is he mentioned that he had clerked for justice anthony kennedy. justice kennedy went to denver when he was sworn in, so he's friendly person for justice kennedy, and the conservative groups are really looking for the next chess move. this, remember, is replacing a conservative justice scalia with, obviously, another conservative. what the conservative groups really hoped for is to get one of the seats of somebody who is going to retire soon, and they wonder when that's anthony kennedy, and they hope by putting neil gorsuch on the court, doesn't make kennedy think, uh-oh, there goads the neighborhood. i better stay. >> nina, in your view, is this net-net, unchanged, status quo, basically going from scalia to gorsuch if confirmed? >> i'm sure there's some issues on which they disagree and would have different outcomes, but, basically, this is a conservative seat that will be occupied by a conservative if he's confirm, and if he's not confirmed, they'll name another conservative this is going to be a conservative seat. pete is right, though. the next

and ditto with anthony kennedy, who even though he's in the conservative camp is a centrist conservative, who has single handedly stopped this supreme court from going -- rolling back abortion rights too significantly, or overturning campus affirmative action. those are two areas where he in recent years, cast the decisive vote. and as you probably remember, in 2015, anthony kennedy wrote the opinion and cast the fifth vote to declare constitutional right to same-sex marriage nationwide. >> okay, joan, thank you very much for your insight in the court. we are in for interesting days. i guess we'll see what happens. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. bye. -- immigration ban are being filed at a steady clip. so far, private companies, advocacy groups, various states heading to the courts. the states are challenging the ban's constitutionality. the council on american islamic relations filed suit, claiming the underlying motive of the order is to ban muslims from certainly majority countries from entering the u.s. joining us now to talk more about that, the ban, is the founder of th

after law school he worked on the supreme court for justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. it is as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in both harvard prison legal assistance projects, and harvard defenders programme, brilliance being ensured i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had anyjob at any law firm for any amount of money. but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to right decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he is the man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule ofjustice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i only hope that both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may

the conservative traditional wing, of which anthony kennedy, who gorsuch clerked under, is in, says, no, we are going to go back to the intent of the founding fathers and the people who forged the constitution that we all live under. that is their intent, that is what is most important, not the new evolution of society. so, judge gorsuch is in that category. he has two daughters when he is an episcopalian. he mentioned his faith. episcopalian, very close to catholicism. it is just the pope that separates the two religions. okay, so, donald trump, finally, then, i will get to our analysts, who are smarter than i am on this matter, did a very, very shrewd thing tonight. he put the democratic party in a tough spot. he said, this is a man that is beyond reproach. his career is beyond reproach. and he is a man who loves his country, who served his country, and who really deserves respect. the democrats who will attack georgia gorsuch, that will happen momentarily, are going to have to be careful not to disrespect him in their opposition. there will be opposition. okay. the heavy odds are,

it might just end up in the hands of anthony kennedy, we'll get into that. special assistant to president trump, boris epshteyn is with us. i felt the government side, there were points that were left on the table that i would have made, we are happy with the way it was argued? >> absolutely. this is a procedural oral argument. the key issue here is is that temporary restraining order overbroad? of course it is. it applies to folks that are not even in this country. it's absolutely clear that they cannot be that broad and cannot have one judge in washingtonit state acting like a chief executive of this country. >> sean: the case is very straightforward, i was not surprised because of the history of the ninth circuit court of appeals, they have been the most overturned court in history, this is a straightforward case, the president has the undisputed constitutional statutory and legal authority to do what he did here. what gives them standing in this case what to mark or seattle standing? the argument that they were trying to make that somehow irreparable dam

those are two areas where he in recent years cast a decisive vote, and in 2015 anthony kennedy wrote the opinion and cast the fifth vote to declare constitutional right to same sex marriage nationwide. >> okay, joan thank you. we are in for interesting days. a senate confirmation to come. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. bye. >>> president trump's execive order prestricting thavl in the united states. the white house is insisting now the ban is not really a ban. jim acosta reports. >> reporter: across the trump administration, all of a sudden there seems to be a ban on the word ban. >> this is not a travel ban. this is not, i repeat, not a ban on muslims. >> reporter: john kelly insisted the executive order does not amount to a ban. >> it's not a travel ban. >> reporter: tell that to the president who tweeted this. and don't forget he said this on saturday. >> working out nicely. you see it at the airports and all over. it's working out very nicely and we're going to have a strict ban and we're going to have extreme vetting which we should have had in this country for many

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. assured, ibeing studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he's a man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you, may god bless o

they were justices nominated by presidents of different political parties, anthony kennedy, a reagan appointee, and baron white, nominated by j.f.k. judge gorsuch received a unanimously well-qualified approval. he was confirmed without any votes in opposition. that's right, madam president, not a single democrat opposed judge gorsuch's confirmation -- not senator barack obama, not senator hillary clinton, not senators joe biden or ted kennedy. not a single 1 of the democrats who still serve with us opposed him, including senator feinstein and the democratic leader himself, senator schumer. in the coming days i hope an expect that all senate colleagues will give him fair consideration just as we did for the nominees of newly elected presidents clinton and obama. this is a judge who is known for deciding cases based on how the law is actually written, not how he wishes it were written. even when it leads to results that conflict with his own political beliefs. he understands that his role as a judge is to interpret the law, not impose his own viewpoint. here's how judge gorsuch put it

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work in public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he's the man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i would only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you, may god bless our glorious nation. judge g

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work in public service. while in possible, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by of holding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. country and of our a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the role along and the rule of justice -- rule of law and the rule of justice. i would only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you, may god bless our glorious nation. judge gorsuch, the podiu

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he's a man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i would only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you, may god bless our glori

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work in public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he's the man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i would only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you, may god bless our glor

is currently a judge on the 10th circuit and for justice byron white and anthony kennedy. he graduated from harvard law school in 1991 and has a doctorate in philosophy from oxford university. he has been on the circuit court since 2006. many parallels being made between this judge and the former and late judge antonin scalia. samenessoday about the between the two. judge gorsuch is like justice scalia and considered a talented writer and he hasn't been afraid to draft opinions that raise the profile of difficult legal issues. just a bit of the philosophy of the judge. we will be learning more about him as we go along. we want to get your thoughts. 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. .or independents, 202-748-8002 a lot of reaction to the nomination of this judge, judge neil gorsuch for the supreme court. >> some news on the new supreme court nominee's schedule already this morning. has his first capitol hill visit as supreme court nominee today with mitch mcconnell. he will be accompanied by vice president mike pence. one metric last night showing th

after law school, he clicked on the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume, as good as it gets. judge gore such -- judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was talking values of hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in both harvard present legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. brilliance being assured, i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions, and by upholdingpact our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he is a man of our country and a man our country needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i only hope that both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless you. may god bles

with justice anthony kennedy. the crucial swing vote. >> if you can duplicate that, it would be absolutely perfect. >> reporter: the court's agenda to face abortion cases. the battle to overturn roe v. wade still raging. >> i am pro-life and i will be appointing pro-life judges. >> reporter: and cases driven by president trump's nationalist agenda, like immigration and refugee issues, including the president's controversial executive order. voting rights, especially as the president claims massive electoral fraud, and the scope of presidential powers. >> back to terry, and there was no action for president obama's pick for supreme court for ten months. republicans would not move on it. tonight, are the democrats are preparing the same strategy? any hits? >> reporter: it looks like they are spoiling for a fight. some of them caused a stolen seat because of what they did. and they are bringing up a case that judge gorsuch ruled on where he said, the employers don't have to provide under contraceptive coverage, and d

. >> sean: it might just end up in the hands of anthony kennedy, will get into that. special assistant to president trump, boris epshteyn is with us. i felt the government side, there were points that were left on the table that i would have made, we are happy with the way it was argued? >> absolutely. this is a procedural oral argument. the key issue here is is that temporary restraining order overbroad? of course it is. it applies to folks that are not even in this country. it's absolutely clear that they cannot be that broad and cannot have one judge in washington state acting like a chief executive of this country. >> sean: the case is very straightforward, i was not surprised because of the history of the ninth circuit court of appeals, they have been the most overturned court in history, this is a straightforward case, the president has the undisputed constitutional statutory and legal authority to do what he did here. what gives them standing in this case what to mark or seattle standing? the argument that they were trying to make that somehow irreparable damag

after law school, he clerked at the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hardware, in public service. hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he's a man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i would only hope both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god bless

with four conservatives, four liberals and justice anthony kennedy as a swing vote. and this morning we are hearing reaction from members of congress on both sides of the aisle. anny hong is here with the details..... during a town hall last night ...house minority leader nancy pelosi sharply criticized neil gorsuch pointing out his rulings on issues like health care, gun safety and education. take a listen... bad decision." pelosi did not say whether she thinks democrats should try to block gorsuch's nomination with a filibuster. meanwhile some senate republicans are praising the president's nomination. states senate. and if judge gorsuch is confirmed by the senate this is what the supreme court will look like. and because three justices are either in their 80's or close to 80 years old ... preisdent trump may get one or more nominations during his presidency. new this morning.... there is a sharp divide of public opinion regarding president trump's travel ban. 49 percent of american adults say they agree the ban. while 41-percent of people say they disagree with th

for gorsuch that would be justice anthony kennedy. rex tillerson expected to be confirmed as secretary of state but democrats are intensifying they're all-out assault to delay the president's other cabinet picks n. the hot seat pruitt and senate committee will try again to vote on jeff sessions for attorney general after democrats boy coited yesterday's vote and blocked votes on tom price and steve mnuchin. the senate committee did approve for betsy devos and elaine chao is officially the new transportation secretary. fox news contributor laura engram slamming democrats for delaying confirmations calling it a desperate stunt. >> the idea that they are going to somehow prove their relevance or their their ability to pulling stunt, all nominees are going to be confirmed and they must know that this is actually harming the interest of the united states. they complain about chaos and order, okay, what is your role in all of this? are you really acting as a normalcy and common sense when you perceive this way. to me it's a desperate stunt

with justin anthony kennedy, 80 years old the swing vote. >> he is a very impressive person. some one who will be difficult for the democrats to stay unified in opposing. young, 49 years old. see him serving three decades on the court if confirmed. >> this guy is a normal dude. right, the guy, go have a beer with, right. he skis, fly fishes, normal guy, wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters family man. kind human being. genuine. >> conservative? >> conservative, mainstream, heart land of mainstream. >> for president trump and for any president the nomination of a supreme court justice is within of his most lasting legacies reaching into the decades beyond his presidency. i'm terry moran at the supreme court. >> should mention, you night have noticed there, president trump's announcement was his first primetime address, moving it from day tonight for a desired effect we assume. >> abc's stephanie ramos live at the supreme court. stephanie, sound like a lot of planning went into this announcement? >> reporter: yeah, definitely. i mean they have been working on this for weeks,

. >> this nomination almost sets up an opportunity for anthony kennedy to retire. can you draw the, or at least connect the dots on that? >> yeah, thinking is and it is hard to know both what is in donald trump's mind and in tony kennedy's mind, is that he will see the nominations for someone like gorsuch who he respects. and admires app and you know sees that he is not, you know, there is so much about donald trump is unconventional and has been unconventional this first week and half. this is not an unconventional nominee. this is a very qualified person. the thing is, maybe reassure justice kennedy he won't be replaced by someone who is way far right and not in the legal mainstream, isn't qualified to serve on the court. and you know, whether that will matter to justice kennedy, you know, who knows. there are signs he might be thinking about retirement. he is 80 years old. but you know, we're getting deep in this speculation at this point. >> from mobile, alabama, democrats line, katherine? >> caller: yes, sir, good morning. how are you doing today? the thing th

anthony kennedy came on as conservative and drifted toward the center. this judge has clerked for two justices. you kind of wonder whether something will happen with this appointee. >> there's no guarantee. so the current balance, how could he affect it as we know it. >> we expect him to be a conservative justice. so in that sense the balance of the court will remain 4-4 with anthony kennedy often finding himself in the middle. when democrats look at this, they may make a fuss. but the fact of the matter is the likelihood is that the court stays the same. >> within the last hour we've also seen leader pelosi and senator harris tweet they're opposed to the pick. could we see a firl bust erfili? >> you could. but i don't think you will. the likelihood that the next justice to retire will be a liberal, perhaps ginsburg, someone like that. that's when you're see the fire woks if he wants to replace a liberal with a conservativconse. >> two justices are in their 80s. what's the time line here? >> we could see as many as three more justices appointed by presid

after law school, he clerked on the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume. it is as good as it gets. judge neil gorsuch was born and raised in colorado. and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in both harvard prison legal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. brilliance being assured i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money. but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge to write decision and to make an impact by upholding our laws and constitution. the qualifications of judge neil gorsuch are beyond dispute. he is the man of our country and a man who our country needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senate leadership. i only hope that both democrats and republicans can come together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. may god

kennedy who's still on that court. he currently serves with distinction on the tenth circuit where he has established himself , as mainstream judge with a reputation as a fair and brilliant jurist. as a mainstream jurist, judge gorsuch enjoys broad respect across the ideological spectrum. all the confirmation hearings for his current -- at the current confirmation hearings for his current judgeship on the tenth circuit, he was introduced by a republican senator allard from colorado, a democrat senator salazar from colorado. senator salazar, of course, isn't exactly a conservative firebrand, having most recently served as head of the transition team of secretary clinton. at his hearing in 2006, william hughs, jr., a democratic candidate for the house of representatives, authored a strong letter of recommendation for judge gorsuch stating -- quote -- i have never found nor thought neil's views or opinions to be tainted or swayed by any partisan leanings. quite to the contrary. his approach to all things professional and

kennedy. dann cuellar has been getting reaction from the legal community in philadelphia. what have you been hearing tonight, dan? >> well, jim, those that know neil gorsuch believe he's a great choice, but he likely has a battle ahead. >> what you see is what you get. neil gorsuch is one of the best judges in the country. >> that reaction from the supreme court clinic. >> neil gorsuch, i went to college with him, the same graduate school. we both clerked for justice kennedy. everyone knows he's one of the best. >> gorsuch is a conservative jurorrer seen as the best to fill the seat of anthony scalia. >> he's ruled in favor of middle school students arrested, or immigrants or people's whose siferl rights were wronged. >> one of the other candidates on the list, gorsuch is hard working and has a passion for the law. >> i have no doubt that based on judge gorsuch reputation that he does the same. >> deborah gross and pe best of mebusexpect a controversial hea. >> i think it will be and should be

the bottom line is this is someone who clerked for judge anthony kennedy. kennedy trusts gorsuch. gorsuch has the ability to move kennedy to the right. it's really hard to imagine a more effective conservative voice for really moving the conservative agenda forward. and judge gorsuch is in that sense a home run. >> a lot of speculation about that the last few days, that this nominee was directed at a specific supreme court justice who's 80 years old, anthony kennedy, to y, look, if you'd like to rest, this is the kind of nominee we put up. but putting him up now doesn't mean that's who you put up to replace kennedy. >> the that's true. it sort of signals reassurance but doesn't provide any guarantees that the next choice will be this kind of choice. so we'll see what effect it has on justice kennedy. i think jeff is absolutely right that gorsuch is the kind of temperament as well as intellect who could be effective for building coalitions for conservatives on the court. >> was there anyone else on the public list of possible nominees who would have been more acceptable to democrat

john roberts, clarence thomas and samuel alito justice anthony kennedy a republican is considered a swing vote. >>> if the senate approves gorsuch there will be a full bench of nine justices they've got important cases on deck. the first gloucester county school board versus gigi look at transgender rights stems from federal court ruling that gave a transgender boy the right to use his school's bathroom. that alliance with his gender identity as opposed to the sex he was assigned at birth. the second los angeles county versus mendez will look at police involved shootings and officers legal immunity when they use excessive force and finally microsoft versus baker about the ex box 360 an class act lawsuit filed by people who bought it. >>> you can read more about neil gorsuch live and career and what brought him to this historic nomination. just head to our website fox29.com. >> breaking right now the city's port richmond neighborhood. that is where police say two men grabbed a woman and shoved in her own car then sped off with her in inside of it. skyfox over the scene along the 2600 block

clerked for several prominent judges, including anthony kennedy and byron white. he was nominated to the court of appeals for the tenth circuit where he currently serves and is confirmed by the u.s. senate and a unanimous vote. he is described as an originalist, a textual us. textual list. he has a strong defender of religious freedom. hobby lobby, the sisters of the poor, against obama administration's contraception mandate. he has made his judicial philosophy very clear. take a look about what he said on a regionalism during a lecture about justice justice n scalia last year. >> text, structure and history is essential to being a good judge. yes, they should be in the business of declaring what the law is using judicial tools of interpretation, not what they wish the law to be. always with an eye on the outcome, some calculation of pleasures and pains along the way. >> sean: joining us now with reaction, leonard leo, one of the people that advised president trump on this decision. welcome to the program. glad to have you. >> great to be here. >> sean: you and a

kennedy who's still on that court. he currently serves with distinction on the tenth circuit where he has established himself , as mainstream judge with a reputation as a fair and brilliant jurist. as a mainstream jurist, judge gorsuch enjoys broad respect across the ideological spectrum. all the confirmation hearings for his current -- at the current confirmation hearings for his current judgeship on the tenth circuit, he was introduced by a republican senator allard from colorado, a democrat senator salazar from colorado. senator salazar, of course, isn't exactly a conservative firebrand, having most recently served as head of the transition team of secretary clinton. at his hearing in 2006, william hughs, jr., a democratic candidate for the house of representatives, authored a strong letter of recommendation for judge gorsuch stating -- quote -- i have never found nor thought neil's views or opinions to be tainted or swayed by any partisan leanings. quite to the contrary. his approach to all things professional and

clerked for several prominent judges, including anthony kennedy and byron white. he was nominated to the court of appeals for the tenth circuit where he currently serves and is confirmed by the u.s. senate and a unanimous vote. he is described as an originalist, a textualist. he has a strong defender of religious freedom. hobby lobby, the sisters of the poor, against obama administration's contraception mandate. he has made his judicial philosophy very clear. take a look about what he said on a regionalism during a lecture about justice antonin scalia last year. >> text, structure and history is essential to being a good judge. yes, they should be in the business of declaring what the law is using judicial tools of interpretation, not what they wish the law to be. always with an eye on the outcome, some calculation of pleasures and pains along the way. >> sean: joining us now with reaction, leonard leo, one of the people that advised president trump on this decision. welcome to the program. glad to have you. >> great to be here. >> sean: you and a lot of prominent

kennedy has been thinking about retiring. may see some comfort in seeing the tip of nominated president had has unveiled tonight. >> bret: one at a time, john. let's find out more about judge gorsuch, chief legal correspondent shannon bream has a report from the u.s. supreme court. >> pledging to do his utmost to protect the constitution, neil gorsuch prays the man he hopes to replace, the late justice engines clear, who died suddenly nearly a year ago and echoed scalia's view of the role of the judiciary. >> and our legal order it is for congress and not the courts to write new laws. it is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people's representatives. a judge who likes every outcome he reaches is very likely a bad judge. >> he is considered to be as close match to scalia's style and philosophy as they could hope for. at columbia, he: kurt co-authoa paper -- he went on to harvard law school and was awarded a doctorate from oxford. >> he is super smart, he is a committed conservative, fidelity to the rule of

he clerked for two supreme court justices -- byron white and anthony kennedy, and went on to become a partner at a prestigious d.c. law firm. then a senior official at the department of justice. while he sailed through his senate confirmation in 2006 when president george w. bush nominated him fought federal bench, senate democrats have been vowing payback for republicans' refusal to even grant a hearing for president obama's pick for scalia's seat, judge merit garland. >> we will do our best to keep the seat open. yes, we'll fight it tooth and nail. as long as we have to. >> reporter: with three justices in their 70s and 80s, judge gorsuch may not be president trump's last supreme court nominee. and we're learning more about the cloak and dagger details of bringing neil gorsuch from colorado to washington. sources say that he was able to evade the press and leave in a back road behind his gated community and take a military aircraft to washington. it is clear that the white house wanted to take extraordinary measures to keep the top pick under wraps until of course that primetime ann