President Trump Picks Constitutional Conservative for Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump has picked Neil Gorsuch, a constitutional conservative, to fill the open spot on the nation’s highest court.

“I pledge that if I am confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitution and laws of this great country,” Gorsuch said.

He is 49-years-old and has an Ivy League background, attending Harvard, Columbia, and Oxford.

He currently serves on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals in Denver.

In a notable case, Gorsuch sided with Hobby Lobby, arguing Christian employers should be exempt from providing contraception under the Affordable Care Act.

He’s also known as a strict constitutionalist.

“I promised to select someone who respects our laws, and is representative of our constitution, and who loves our constitution,” President Trump said.

“Anything that was 5-4 before or you know close before that’s not going to change,” explains Winthrop Political Science Professor Dr. Scott Huffmon.

That’s because Gorsuch has a conservative philosophy so similar to the man he’s replacing.

But the pick sets the stage for possibly shifting the high court’s opinion on major social issues.

“After this pick, one more and you know abortion is back on the table as to it’s legality,” Huffmon explains.

First Baptist Charlotte Pastor Dr. Mark Harris says the Supreme Court is one reason so many Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump.

“This election, we all knew, was about more than four years it was really, in many ways, about the next 40 years,” Harris says.

He believes issues like abortion are worth revisiting, which has opponents concerned.

Many have been protesting. Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Vice-Chair Jane Whitley says they will continue to fight and be heard.

“This shows how much your vote matters. Our rights are at stake, women’s rights are at stake, human rights are at stake,” Whitley says.