WASHINGTON, D.C., April 7, 2017—Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch as the next justice for the U.S. Supreme Court today.
"The confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is good news,” Moore said. “I am confident he will protect the Bill of Rights, especially our First Freedom of religious liberty. Judge Gorsuch's judicial record, statements in confirmation hearings and his reputation for brilliance and integrity all commend him to sit on the nation's highest court. I pray that he will serve for decades with principled commitment to the Founders’ vision of natural rights and ordered liberty.”
Gorsuch’s nomination was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 54 to 45, with three Democrats joining with Senate Republicans. The vote came after a change to Senate rules, which limits debate on Supreme Court nominees to 30 hours, after which nominees may be approved by a simple majority of the chamber.
Since Gorsuch’s nomination was announced by President Donald Trump, the ERLC has been closely involved with advocacy in support of his confirmation by the Senate. The ERLC launched a coalition letter that garnered the signatures of leaders representing millions of evangelicals around the country.
Gorsuch is from Denver, Colo., and was the youngest candidate on Trump’s short list of nominees. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2006 and was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Gorsuch has a strong record as a textualist jurist and has written a scholarly volume against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide.
