Neil Gorsuch Book Prompts Defense of Independent Judges After Trump Attack
Justice Neil Gorsuch used a new neil gorsuch book about the Declaration of Independence to press a familiar point: judges need to stay independent and fearless. He made the case in an interview with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis ahead of Tuesday’s release of Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence.
Gorsuch said President Donald Trump’s personal attacks on him and Justice Amy Coney Barrett after the Supreme Court invalidated Trump’s sweeping global tariffs in February led him to think about the ideals behind the Declaration. He said, “We want independent judges, people who are fearless and able to apply the law without respect to persons, as our judicial oath says, right?”
Gorsuch and Trump’s February clash
The dispute followed the February ruling in which Gorsuch voted with Chief Justice John Roberts, Barrett and the court’s three liberals to invalidate Trump’s tariffs. Trump then called Gorsuch and Barrett a “disgrace,” “disloyal,” “unpatriotic,” “fools and lapdogs,” and “an embarrassment to their families.”
Gorsuch said the criticism fits within the job of judging. “Part of the job of the judge is to accept criticism,” he said, adding, “Everybody's got a right to free speech.” He also said, “It's a raucous thing in democracy, and that's good.”
Heroes of 1776 and the Declaration
The book, released Tuesday, focuses on the debate that produced the Declaration 250 years ago this year. Gorsuch said, “We tell the story about the debate that led up to [the Declaration].” He added, “It almost didn't go through,” and said, “None of this is inevitable, and it isn't inevitable that it will survive.”
He linked that history to the present by saying, “America's biggest enemy is itself,” and, “I believe we have to recommit every generation... if we're going to carry those ideals forward.” He also called it “a humbling privilege to be able to serve in this capacity, and I'm just one link in a long chain.”
Judicial independence and civics
Gorsuch said he shares Roberts’ concern that a surge in personal attacks on judges is “dangerous.” He added that “part of our story too, is realizing, again, that the person sitting across from you probably loves his country every bit as much as he did.”
The book release gives Gorsuch a public platform to pair civics education with a defense of the court’s independence. ABC News scheduled “All Access” with Linsey Davis featuring Gorsuch for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
