Gorsuch Served As Outside Counsel For Reclusive Billionaire

Phillip F. Anschutz, a secretive billionaire, has worked with Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch for years, and his influence led to Gorsuch’s 2006 nomination to the federal appeals court. According to a report by the New York Times, Gorsuch began representing Anschutz and his companies when he was working for the Washington law firm then known as Kellogg Huber. Since then, Gorsuch has been a semiregular speaker at Anschutz’s annual dove-hunting retreats for wealthy and politically prominent individuals. He has sent funding to The Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, both of which helped President Donald Trump develop his list of potential Supreme Court nominees. Northwestern University law professor Steven Lubet told the Times that, should Gorsuch recuse himself on a case-by-case basis from any Supreme Court cases that are too involved in Anschutz’s interest, his ties to the billionaire are inconsequential. Anschutz’s fortune is worth around $12.6 billion, according to an estimate from Forbes. And Anschutz is so secretive, the Times reported that a woman who answered the phone at his company said the firm “does not respond to media requests,” and hung up when asked her name.