It was inevitable that the topic would come up. Sure enough, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) jumped on the bandwagon. After unsuccessfully attempting to pin Judge Gorsuch down regarding litmus tests of religious liberty, he took another tack. Cue the Muslim travel ban!

Leahy then posed the question a different way, using the language of then-candidate Trump to ask about a hypothetical ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump has since ditched the incendiary rhetoric when speaking about travel bans, though a reference remains on his campaign website. Leahy also cited an unnamed Republican congressman who allegedly said “the best thing the president could do for his Muslim ban is to make sure he has Gorsuch on the Supreme Court before appeals get to that point.”

Oh boy… here we go.

Did you catch that response from Judge Gorsuch? It’s a thing of beauty!

“Senator, he has no idea how I’d rule in that case and, senator, I’m not going to say anything here that’s going to give anybody any idea how I’d rule in any case like that that could come before the Supreme Court or my court on the 10th Circuit,” Gorsuch said, tapping a pointed finger on his desk to emphasize his words. “It would be grossly improper of a judge to do that. It would be a violation of the separation of powers and judicial independence if someone sitting at this table, in order to get confirmed, had to make promises or commitments about how they’d rule in a case that’s currently pending and likely to make its way to the Supreme Court.”

Judge Gorsuch is absolutely correct. A judge cannot and should not EVER make promises of any kind regarding how they’d rule on a case. If a judge did so it would be completely and utterly unethical. Period.

#Leahy is asking the nominee to promise to rule a certain way which is worse than jury tampering.

— Joe Newman (@JoeAllenNewman) March 21, 2017

Exactly. Judge Gorsuch schooled Senator Patrick Leahy beautifully and correctly concerning what is and ISN’T appropriate for a judge to do regarding any case. He also made it VERY clear that he cannot, whether in his current role as a judge on the 10th Circuit or his potential future role as a United States Supreme Court justice, offer any opinion on litigation that is currently winding it’s way through the courts right now.

Judge Gorsuch’s answer concerning President Trump’s Executive Orders or the so-called “muslim travel ban” are correct and on point. Showing us once again why he will be a very welcome addition to the United States Supreme Court.