Gorsuch Speech Is Latest Stop on “Thank-You Tour”

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 16 – Commenting on Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s planned appearance as the headliner at a Federalist Society fundraising dinner slated for tonight, Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“Tonight’s speech is just the latest stop on Neil Gorsuch’s thank-you tour to honor the people who got him what should have been Merrick Garland’s job. First he made campaign stops in Kentucky with Mitch McConnell, then he gave a speech at the Trump International Hotel. Now he’s speaking at a sold-out fundraising dinner for the right-wing Federalist Society, which is probably more responsible than any other entity for getting him into his current position. We’ll say it again: this behavior is unbecoming for a Supreme Court justice, cheapens the Court, and undermines the trust of the American people in the Court’s fairness and impartiality.”

Canon 4C of the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges bars federal judges from using the prestige of their judicial office for fundraising purposes, and specifically states, “a judge may not be a speaker, a guest of honor, or featured on the program” of a fundraising event. AFJ believes that Supreme Court justices should adopt the same code of conduct that applies to other federal judges.