The Young Justice: Meet Donald Trump's Pick to Replace Justice Scalia

image
Published: 31 Jan, 2017
1 min read

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening that his pick to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia's vacant seat on the Supreme Court is Judge Neil Gorsuch. Gorsuch, 49, currently serves on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado, and was appointed by President George W. Bush.

CNN reported Tuesday that two finalists were flown to Washington ahead of the president's primetime announcement, Gorsuch and Third Circuit Judge Thomas Hardiman -- also a Bush appointee.

For those keeping an eye on Twitter, a new account was created with Gorsuch's name hours ahead of the announcement with the handle, @JusticeNGorsuch. Who created it has not been verified as the account calls him an "Associate Justice of the Supreme Court" before he has even been given a confirmation hearing.

The account raised plenty of eyebrows as another account was created for Hardiman.

Hardiman's account was not as presumptuous, though, calling him a "Nominee for Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court."

Minutes before the formal announcement, Gorsuch's account thanked President Trump for the nomination:

https://twitter.com/JusticeNGorsuch/status/826593123866382337

IVP Donate

Neither account was verified by Twitter ahead of the announcement.

Despite the last minute, reality-tv-style drama, Gorsuch ended up being Trump's finalist. He believes in a literal interpretation of the constitution and according to a study led by Mercer University law Professor Jeremy Kidd, is very similar to Scalia, a nominee Trump promised to deliver on the campaign trail.

If confirmed, Gorsuch would be the youngest member of the Supreme Court by about half a decade. Currently, the youngest member of the high court is Justice Elena Kagan at 56.

Watch the full announcement (start video at 21:00):

You Might Also Like

Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
The Institute for Mathematics and Democracy (IMD) has released what may be the most comprehensive empirical study of ranked choice voting ever conducted. The 66-page report analyzes nearly 4,000 real-world ranked ballot elections, including some 2,000 political elections, and more than 60 million simulated ones to test how different voting methods perform....
11 Dec, 2025
-
4 min read
California flag
Quirk Silva’s Exit Sparks a High-Profile Orange County Clash, Where Independent Voters Control the Math
California’s 67th Assembly District stretches across parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, connecting some of the region’s most dynamic and diverse suburban communities. It includes the entire cities of Cerritos, La Palma, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Buena Park, and Cypress, as well as portions of Fullerton and Anaheim....
18 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Donald Trump
Trump Signs Order to Reclassify Cannabis to Schedule III
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will officially move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a decision that marks the most significant change to U.S. drug policy since the early 1970s....
18 Dec, 2025
-
2 min read