Trump’s supreme court pick vows independence as he is no ‘rubber stamp’
Washington — On Tuesday, US Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch pledged independence from President Donald Trump, bristled at his criticism of the judiciary and said not even the president is above the law amid Democratic concerns he would be beholden to the man who selected him. Answering questions from senators during a more than 11-hour session on the second day of his Senate judiciary committee confirmation hearing, Gorsuch said Trump never asked him to overturn the 1973 supreme court ruling legalising abortion nationwide, saying if the Republican president had done so, "I would have walked out the door". During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump promised to appoint an anti-abortion justice who would overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which many conservatives want reversed. If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, to fill a 13-month-old vacancy, Gorsuch would restore the nine-seat court’s conservative majority at a time when Republicans control Congress and the White ...
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