An Encouraging First Session for Justice Gorsuch

I need not go further than RooshV’s commentary on Slate to feel very good about Justice Neil Gorsuch’s first two months at the Supreme Court, as follows: “Gorsuch revealed himself to be everything that liberals had most feared–pro-gun, pro-travel ban, anti-gay, anti-church/state separation.  He is certainly more conservative than Justice Alito and possibly to the right of Justice Thomas.  He is an uncompromising reactionary and an unmitigated disaster for the progressive constitutional project.  And he will likely serve on the court for a least three more decades”.

Although I take serious issue with his gross mischaracterization of the Justice’s posture on the issues in the first sentence, I get his point.  I agree that it is possible that Gorsuch will join Justice Thomas on the right and I couldn’t ask for anything more than if he succeeds in destroying the “progressive constitutional project”.  And although it is very early to know, his assertiveness in his decisions, both in concurrence and dissent, indicate that he might easily fit into a key leadership role on the court and possibly even have some influence on his former boss, Justice Kennedy, for the remainder of his court career, which would be a big bonus.

Speaking of Kennedy, it appears that he will not immediately retire, but the consensus seems to be that it will come very soon, the prospect of which Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post called “terrifying and terrible”.  All the more reason to be optimistic about the future of the court.  Bring it on.