Sen. Chris Coons is among the Senate Judiciary Committee members grilling Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Capitol Hill this week.
During day three of the confirmation hearing, Coons tried to find out whether the potential Justice would vote to overturn same sex marriage or abortion rulings.
Coons asked Gorsuch if he shared late Justice Antonin Scalia’s dislike for the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage.
Coons: “Do you view Obergefell as a threat to democracy somehow?”
Gorsuch: “Senator, Justice Scalia had his views and expressed them in his dissent. They’re his views. The law of the land is the Supreme Court holding of Obergefell.”
Coons pressed Gorsuch repeatedly on the strength of precedents like the Obergefell ruling, or the 40-year-old abortion case Roe v. Wade.
Gorsuch said precedents are the anchor of law but refused to hint at how he may rule in a case of same-sex marriage or abortion.
Coons said he still isn’t sold on Gorsuch, even after the marathon hearings on his nomination.
Speaking on NPR’s Morning Edition Wednesday, Coons called the Supreme Court nominee a “charming conservative” who held up well to over 11 hours of straight questioning this week.
But Coons said he has real concerns about just how conservative the 49-year-old federal appeals court judge is.
"I think it’s important to look past the personality and to really understand his framework and his approach to decision making. If confirmed, he will likely be a justice for 25 or 30 years."
Coons wants clarity on how Gorsuch was nominated, how he will stand up for an independent judiciary and his views on the separation of powers.
The senator said he will use the coming weeks to decide on whether he’ll vote to confirm Gorsuch.
You can see Sen. Coons' entire Wednesday Q&A with Judge Gorsuch below:
You can see Sen. Coons' entire Tuesday Q&A with Judge Gorsuch below:
