FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS ADVISORY
February 1, 2017
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Alabama Attorney General
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 2
ATTORNEY GENERAL STRANGE JOINS COALITION OF 20 ATTORNEYS GENERAL
CALLING FOR PROMPT CONFIRMATION OF JUDGE NEIL GORSUCH TO U.S.
SUPREME COURT
(MONTGOMERY) – Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange today wrote the leadership of
the United States Senate urging the prompt confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United
States Supreme Court.
In a joint letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles
Schumer, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Patrick
Leahy, Attorney General Strange and 19 other Attorneys General described Judge Gorsuch as
“an outstanding jurist with a proven commitment to upholding the U.S. Constitution and the
rule of law. We have no doubt that he possesses the qualifications, temperament and judicial
philosophy to be an excellent Associate Justice.”
Attorney General Strange and the other Attorneys General further noted President Trump’s
decision to nominate Judge Gorsuch was in keeping with the will of the American people who
wish to see the late Justice Scalia’s seat on the High Court filled by someone who will carry on
his tradition of upholding the Constitution rather than rewriting it.
“President Trump campaigned on the promise that he would fill the seat formerly occupied by
Justice Antonin Scalia with a jurist who shared the late Justice’s commitment to interpreting the
Constitution as written, rather than as judges might wish it were written. Now that he has been
elected, President Trump has fulfilled that campaign promise through the nomination of Judge
Gorsuch, a committed constitutionalist. The Senate should respect the will of the voters in this
last election by confirming President Trump’s choice without delay.
“Confirmation of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court will have a profound and positive
impact on the people in our States. Over the past eight years, the people have suffered from the
massive federal overreach in Washington, D.C. as all three branches of government have at
times exceeded the limits placed on their authority under the Constitution. In particular, the
executive branch has placed onerous and unlawful regulatory burdens on consumers,
employees, investors, and businesses. Judge Gorsuch will help reverse that trend by ensuring
that the legislative and executive branches, whether controlled by either party, act within their
constitutionally assigned roles.”
501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov Page 2 of 2
Alabama joined the letter with West Virginia, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana,
Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South
Carolina, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
A copy of the Attorneys General letter is attached
–30 –
February 1, 2017
Via Certified Mail & Email
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader Minority Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
317 Russell Senate Office Building 322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
senator@mcconnell.senate.gov
The Honorable Chuck Grassley The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Chairman Ranking Member
United States Senate Judiciary Committee United States Senate Judiciary Committee
135 Hart Senate Office Building 437 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington DC 20510
chuck_grassley@grassley.senate.gov senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Re: A communication from the States of West Virginia, Alabama, Arizona,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah,
Wisconsin, and Wyoming regarding the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to
the Supreme Court of the United States
Dear Senators McConnell, Schumer, Grassley, and Leahy:
As the chief legal officers of our States, we write to urge the U.S. Senate to promptly
hold a hearing on and confirm the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of
the United States. Judge Gorsuch is an outstanding jurist with a proven commitment to
upholding the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. We have no doubt that he possesses the
qualifications, temperament and judicial philosophy to be an excellent Associate Justice.
President Trump campaigned on the promise that he would fill the seat formerly occupied
by Justice Antonin Scalia with a jurist who shared the late Justice’s commitment to interpreting
the Constitution as written, rather than as judges might wish it were written. Now that he has
been elected, President Trump has fulfilled that campaign promise through the nomination ofThe Honorable Senators McConnell, Schumer, Grassley, and Leahy
February 1, 2017
Page 2
Judge Gorsuch, a committed constitutionalist. The Senate should respect the will of the voters in
this last election by confirming President Trump’s choice without delay.
Confirmation of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court will have a profound and positive
impact on the people in our States. Over the past eight years, the people have suffered from the
massive federal overreach in Washington, D.C. as all three branches of government have at times
exceeded the limits placed on their authority under the Constitution. In particular, the executive
branch has placed onerous and unlawful regulatory burdens on consumers, employees, investors,
and businesses. Judge Gorsuch will help reverse that trend by ensuring that the legislative and
executive branches, whether controlled by either party, act within their constitutionally assigned
roles.
Over the past eight years, federal agencies have also impermissibly intruded on the
regulatory authority of the States and commandeered state governments to carry out President
Obama’s agenda. As the chief legal officers of our States, we have a special interest in ensuring
that the federal government respects our role in enforcing policies on matters of local concern
reserved to the States under the Constitution. It is imperative that the States and their Attorneys
General be able to make and enforce their own environmental, educational, and consumer
protection policies, among other things, free from interference from the federal government,
unless Congress or the President acts within their specifically enumerated powers.
Judge Gorsuch is particularly well-suited to enforce the Constitution’s structural
limitations and protect the institutional prerogatives of the States. Judge Gorsuch was confirmed
to the Tenth Circuit by a bipartisan, unanimous “voice vote” in the Senate in 2006 and has
vindicated the Senate’s trust in him in his ensuing decade on that court. In a speech last year
commemorating Justice Scalia, he eloquently said that “an assiduous focus on text, structure, and
history is essential to the proper exercise of the judicial function” and identified himself as a
“believer that the traditional account of the judicial role Justice Scalia defended will endure.” On
the Tenth Circuit, Judge Gorsuch has written about the judiciary’s obligation to act as a
meaningful check on federal agencies that exceed their authority and to interpret the Constitution
according to its original public meaning. He has also championed the judiciary’s critical role in
protecting religious beliefs from government interference.
In short, we are convinced that, as the next Supreme Court Justice, Judge Gorsuch will be
committed to resisting unlawful government overreach, respecting the democratic process, and
protecting individual liberties. We strongly urge all Senators – and particularly the home-state
Senators of the undersigned Attorneys General – to express their public support for the prompt
confirmation of Judge Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.The Honorable Senators McConnell, Schumer, Grassley, and Leahy
February 1, 2017
Page 3
Sincerely,
Patrick Morrisey
West Virginia Attorney General
Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Indiana Attorney General
Luther Strange
Alabama Attorney General
Derek Schmidt
Kansas Attorney General
Mark Brnovich
Arizona Attorney General
Jeff Landry
Louisiana Attorney General
Leslie Rutledge
Arkansas Attorney General
Bill Schuette
Michigan Attorney General
Pamela Jo Bondi
Florida Attorney General
Josh Hawley
Missouri Attorney General
Christopher M. Carr
Georgia Attorney GeneralThe Honorable Senators McConnell, Schumer, Grassley, and Leahy
February 1, 2017
Page 4
Timothy Fox
Alan Wilson
Montana Attorney General
South Carolina Attorney General
Doug Peterson
Ken Paxton
Nebraska Attorney General
Texas Attorney General
Sean D. Reyes
Adam Paul Laxalt
Utah Attorney General
Nevada Attorney General
Brad D. Schimel
Wisconsin Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem
North Dakota Attorney General
Peter Michael
Wyoming Attorney General
CC:
President Donald J. Trump
Vice President Michael R. Pence
