Neil Gorsuch 113th U.S. Supreme Court Justice

A little more than a year since the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, his replacement – Judge Neil Gorsuch – was sworn in. Gorsuch’s appointment returns the Court to the ideological balance that existed while Scalia was alive. “Justice Gorsuch, you are now entrusted with the sacred duty of defending our Constitution,” President Donald Trump said during a White House Rose Garden swearing-in ceremony. “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.” Democrats waged a filibuster against Gorsuch’s nomination, largely in retribution for Senate Republicans’ refusal to hold a hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, then-President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Scalia. Republicans last week invoked the so-called “nuclear” option, lowering the threshold of approval to a simple majority vote.