Trump’s Supreme Court Pick: Evangelical Christians Vindicated

The opportunity to nominate a Supreme Court justice became one of the most motivating factors in the 2016 presidential election. Conservatives, and especially evangelical Christians, rallied to Republican Donald Trump with his assurance of tapping a constitutionally conservative justice if he were to win the White House.

On Tuesday night, President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Gorsuch, 49, will fill the seat left vacant by the sudden passing of Antonin Scalia last February. Just days before the announcement, President Trump promised that “evangelicals, Christians will love” his choice. The reaction from conservatives has been enthusiastic.

“I thank God that if [Gorsuch is] confirmed, this administration will have delivered on one of its most critical campaign promises.”

James Dobson, Christian author and radio broadcaster who served on Trump’s evangelical advisory board, said of the selection Tuesday night, “I thank God that if [Gorsuch is] confirmed, this administration will have delivered on one of its most critical campaign promises — to appoint a judge in the mold of the late Justice Antonin Scalia,” as Christianity Today reported.

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Gorsuch is known as a defender of religious freedom. He has a history of ruling in favor of those who claim their religious freedom has been violated by the law. In the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case, Gorsuch found that the Green family — which owns Hobby Lobby and operates their business under traditional Christian principles — was allowed to exercise their religious freedom by refusing to offer contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act.

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In his concurrence, Gorsuch wrote: “It is not for secular courts to rewrite the religious complaint of a faithful adherent, or to decide whether a religious teaching about complicity imposes ‘too much’ moral disapproval on those only ‘indirectly’ assisting wrongful conduct. Whether an act of complicity is or isn’t ‘too attenuated’ from the underlying wrong is sometimes itself a matter of faith we must respect.”

Gorsuch also sided with the Little Sisters of the Poor in their objection to being forced to provide contraceptives by the directives of the Affordable Care Act or to aid in that effort among their workers. He has defended the “Free Exercise Clause,” which allows for the public exercise of religious expression, such as a Ten Commandments display on public property.

Although Gorsuch does not have a record on abortion, he has denounced the use of the court system to decide social issues. He wrote a book on the legal and moral arguments regarding euthanasia, in which he ultimately determined that all life is valuable and that the taking of life is wrong. It appears, based on his appreciation for and his honoring of human life, that he leans pro-life.

“I am so thankful for my family, my friends, and my faith. These are the things that keep me grounded in life’s peaks and sustain me in its valleys.”

Like Justice Scalia, Gorsuch is an originalist, meaning he interprets the Constitution as it was originally written by the Founding Fathers. He has criticized attempts to twist the Constitution to conform to a courtroom’s own political persuasion.

On Tuesday night, Gorsuch, a father of two, said, “I am so thankful for my family, my friends, and my faith. These are the things that keep me grounded in life’s peaks and sustain me in its valleys.”

Gorsuch is an Episcopalian and would be the only Protestant justice on the Supreme Court if he is confirmed. The Episcopalian Church holds traditional Christian beliefs that Jesus is the Son of God, who died on the cross and rose from the dead to offer salvation to all.

Based on Gorsuch’s personal religious affiliation, his praise for Justice Scalia, and his defense of religious freedom, Christians can expect a justice who interprets the law in a way that will protect their faith and uphold their religious conviction.

Katie Nations, married for 15 years, is a working mother of three young children. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.