Judge Neil Gorsuch… who might remain Judge Neil Gorsuch at this rate. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Late yesterday afternoon, media outlets broke the news that Judge Neil Gorsuch had told Senator Richard Blumenthal that he found President Trump’s tweets criticizing Judge James Robart as a “so-called judge” to be “demoralizing” and “disheartening.”
I dunno. If Judge Gorsuch thought this was disheartening, he must have missed Trump’s comments on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, because accusing a judge born in Indiana of bias because Trump planned to build a wall along the Mexican border set the bar pretty f**king low. Indeed, one could argue that his comments about Judge Robart reflected real growth in the president’s esteem for the federal judiciary.
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In any event, the story quickly rose to the top of the Fox News headlines, which means it was all Donald Trump saw last night as he lounged in front of the television in the East Wing. Trump’s initial reaction was to blame Senator Blumenthal, suggesting the Connecticut lawmaker lied about Judge Gorsuch’s comments. But both the White House’s chosen Gorsuch spokesperson, former GOP Senator Kelly Ayotte, and current GOP Senator Ben Sasse have confirmed Judge Gorsuch’s words, so Trump may just now be coming to grips with the fact that his nominee really did call him out. But, hey, it’s not like this president has issues with disloyalty or being made to look ridiculous in public!
Which got me thinking:
What are the odds @realDonaldTrump pulls Gorsuch #SCOTUS nomination once he hears "disheartening" comments? At least 1 in 3, right?
— Joe Patrice (@JosephPatrice) February 8, 2017
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And I thought I was probably alone in this sort of theorizing. Then, hours later, another brave soul was willing to join the speculation.
https://twitter.com/EricAPosner/status/829538289099079680
Professor Posner — who’d already suggested Judge Gorsuch needed to blast Trump’s tweets — was even willing to put a 30 percent chance on his theory, a number not far off from my initial odds.
So that got me thinking, dear ATL hivemind, on a scale of 1 to 10, how completely screwed is Judge Gorsuch right now?
[poll id=”585″]
Supreme Court Nominee Calls Trump’s Attacks on Judiciary ‘Demoralizing’ [New York Times]
Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.