As Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch continues to face questions from Judiciary Committee Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse about his association with the Federalist Society, it has been discovered that all eight sitting justices have addressed the group at various times.
Whitehouse pressed Gorsuch repeatedly during the ongoing hearings about why the Federalist Society and other conservative groups have spent a reported $17 million to support Gorsuch’s nomination, calling the Society a "front group" when Gorsuch suggested the senator ask them why they did so, according to Politico.
The Federalist Society is a group of traditionalists and libertarians who hold a large variety of opinions on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and affirmative action. The society is, The Washington Post stated, focused on ideas and principles about the constitution rather than any specific judicial position. The society was involved in compiling a list of possible nominees, including Gorsuch, for President Donald Trump’s consideration.
Democrats have apparently been trying to demonize Republican judicial nominees for their connections to the Federalist Society since at least 2005, according to National Review, which pointed out justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented there in 2001.
The Federalist Society website also confirms Justice Elena Kagan presented there in 2005, where she proclaimed, “I love the Federalist Society”; Chief Justice John Roberts gave a lecture to the society in 2007; and Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke on a panel for the society in 2009.
Gorsuch is expected to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in the next week or two, although Senate Republicans may need to change the rules in order to break a threatened filibuster of his nomination.
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