Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution, rejecting President Donald Trump's suggestion that justices owe loyalty to the presidents who appointed them. The statement comes amid Trump's repeated criticism of the Court's 6-3 ruling in February that invalidated his most sweeping tariffs. Gorsuch and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, both Trump appointees, were among the majority in the decision.
In a Truth Social post last month, Trump claimed that Democratic-appointed justices are 'totally loyal' to the ideology that got them confirmed, while some Republican appointees 'let the Democrats push them around.' He accused them of prioritizing popularity or independence over loyalty to their nominating president or ideology.
During an interview with CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford, Gorsuch dismissed the notion of judicial loyalty to any president. 'My loyalty is to the Constitution, the laws of the United States,' he said. 'That's the oath I took. It's really just that simple.' Gorsuch, who joined the Court in 2017 at age 49, emphasized the importance of life tenure for federal judges, arguing it ensures they can apply the law fairly without regard to politics or external pressures. 'Do I care what people say left, right, center about me? Nah,' he added.
Gorsuch also defended the structure of the federal judiciary as outlined in the Constitution, stating it works as intended. He and co-author Janie Nitze have recently written a children's book, though details about its content were not provided in the sources.