The man chosen by President Donald Trump to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the late Antonin Scalia has deep ties to Colorado. Neil Gorsuch is a fourth generation Coloradan and an avid hunter, fly-fisher and skier. Gorsuch left the state during his teenage years, attending Columbia University, Harvard Law School and Oxford, eventually returning to serve on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
He is viewed as a conservative judge and considers himself an originalist, which means he tries to adhere to what he believes the framers of the constitution intended. He is perhaps best-known for upholding religious liberty rights in legal challenges to rules in the Affordable Care Act that required employers to provide birth control coverage for workers.
Janie Nitze, a former clerk of Gorsuch in Denver from 2008-2009, says her former boss is brilliant, a talented writer and well-loved by his former clerks. Nitze, who's now a fellow and lecturer at Harvard Law School, says even now, she goes to Gorsuch for advice "even before I ask my husband or my parents."
Janie Nitze spoke with Colorado Matters host Nathan Heffel.
