Neil M. Gorsuch
Associate Justice since 2017. He previously served a decade on the Tenth Circuit and as a senior Justice Department official, and has written extensively on legal philosophy and overcriminalization.
- Role
- Associate Justice
- Joined the Court
- 2017 (appointed by Donald Trump)
- Martin–Quinn score
- 1.08 (latest term)
- Decisions participated in
- 496 (Spaeth, 1946–2025 span)
- Prior roles
- Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General
How their votes have evolved, issue by issue
- Immigration: 32 votes, 38% on the liberal side.
- Criminal procedure: 25 votes, 44% on the liberal side.
- Free speech & press: 25 votes, 52% on the liberal side.
- Executive & agency power: 21 votes, 62% on the liberal side.
- Voting & elections: 18 votes, 22% on the liberal side.
- Federalism: 18 votes, 33% on the liberal side.
- Religion: 12 votes, 33% on the liberal side.
- Death penalty: 9 votes, 0% on the liberal side.
- Guns & the Second Amendment: 8 votes, 63% on the liberal side.
- Abortion & reproductive rights: 6 votes, 17% on the liberal side.
- Sexual orientation & gender identity: 6 votes, 17% on the liberal side.
- Race & affirmative action: 2 votes, 0% on the liberal side.
Before the Court
As a lower-court judge on the Tenth Circuit (2006–2017), Gorsuch wrote 270 opinions we could find on CourtListener: 219 for the court, 25 concurring and 26 dissenting. Most often on: Criminal procedure (52), Immigration (14), Executive & agency power (7), Religion (5). Selected passages appear in the “In their own words” timelines on this page.
How they question at oral argument
Over OT2023–OT2025 (3,115 substantive questions and remarks), Gorsuch's questions most often probed consequences and hypotheticals (24%), the text (20%), precedent (14%). Themes are assigned by a language model (75% agreement with independent reference labels). Compare all nine Justices.
Public statements, writings & appearances
A curated, sourced timeline of 28 speeches, articles, interviews, and public statements — each with a summary and a link to the original source. The interactive version with filters and full-text search loads above.
- — Fireside chat at the Tenth Circuit Bench & Bar Conference (Tenth Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs)
In a fireside chat with Tenth Circuit judges and lawyers, Gorsuch defended the country's governing framework and cautioned against presidents remaking national policy unilaterally, while also joking about his confirmation and his former circuit colleagues.
reorder the entire national economy by the stroke of a pen every four years
Topics: separation of powers, executive power, judicial role
- — Fireside chat at the inaugural Reagan Civility and Democracy Forum (Ronald Reagan Institute, Washington, D.C. (Gorsuch appearing remotely from Prague; interviewed by Reagan Foundation chairman Frederick J. Ryan Jr.))
Speaking remotely to roughly 120 students and young professionals, Gorsuch said American democracy is fragile and cannot be repaired unless citizens learn the country's full history, including its failures alongside its achievements. He described the sacrifices of Continental Congress delegates, urged listeners to assume good faith and patriotic motives in those they disagree with, and cited his working relationship with Justice Sotomayor as an example.
Topics: civility, civic education, collegiality, founding history, democracy, court legitimacy
- — Firing Line with Margaret Hoover — Neil Gorsuch (Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, PBS)
Gorsuch rejected the claim that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, pointing to colonies settled for religious pluralism and to the First Amendment's bar on an established religion, and said the country was never meant to be defined by one race or one religion. He also discussed the heroes of the Revolution, declining civic education, falling confidence in democracy among young Americans, and the Court's role in sustaining the nation's founding ideals.
We have a First Amendment for crying out loud. No established religion.
Topics: religious liberty, founding history, civic education, constitutional interpretation, democracy, court legitimacy
- — The Heroes of 1776 (The Free Press (essay by Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze))
In a signed essay marking the 250th anniversary of independence, Gorsuch recounts the privations of Revolutionary soldiers through the account of teenage enlistee Joseph Plumb Martin at Fort Mifflin, and highlights civilian contributors such as boycott organizers, militia farmers, the messenger Emily Geiger, and the spy Nathan Hale. He closes by urging readers to consider what moved ordinary people to extraordinary acts.
Topics: founding history, civic education, civics, book tour
- — Separation of Powers course, National Security Institute summer program (George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, National Security Institute, Prague, Czech Republic)
Gorsuch taught Separation of Powers, one of two graded courses in the ninth annual National Security Institute summer program run by George Mason University's Scalia Law School in Prague. Fix the Court records the program as beginning July 19, 2026; the law school's own account does not specify exact session dates.
Topics: separation of powers, executive power, legal profession, constitutional interpretation
- — Firing Line special: America at 250 — Pursuing a More Perfect Union (Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, PBS (special with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, ret.))
Gorsuch describes the Declaration of Independence as a national mission statement resting on three ideas: that all people are created equal, that rights come from a source higher than government, and that the people govern themselves. Drawing on figures from his children's book, including Thomas Nelson of Virginia, he argues that ordinary people made the founding possible and warns about declining civic education.
Topics: founding history, civic education, civics, democracy, constitutional interpretation
- — Jeffrey Rosen podcast: Justice Gorsuch on the Blessings of Liberty (The Blessings of Liberty podcast (Jeffrey Rosen, FIRE))
In the inaugural episode of Jeffrey Rosen's podcast, Gorsuch discussed the American Revolution and enduring founding ideals, civil dialogue, and civic education, and noted his epilogue essay in the National Constitution Center volume The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals.
Topics: civics, founding history, judicial role
- — Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence (with Janie Nitze) (HarperCollins Children's Books)
A picture book, co-authored with Janie Nitze and timed to the nation's 250th anniversary, telling the stories of well-known and obscure figures behind the Declaration of Independence; it became a #1 New York Times bestseller and anchored a wide media tour.
We wanted to share the human stories behind the document that changed everything.
Topics: civics, founding history
- — The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie: 'Aspirations for Power Need To Be Checked' (Reason (recorded at the Supreme Court, April 28, 2026))
In a long-form interview pegged to Heroes of 1776, Gorsuch laid out Madison's case for horizontal and vertical checks on power, defended originalism as a constraint on judges' personal preferences, and revisited his Over Ruled themes on overcriminalization, citing the Yates fishing prosecution and the millions of words added to the federal code each year.
Men are not angels and their aspirations for power need to be checked and checked again.
Topics: overcriminalization, originalism, judicial role
- — William O. Douglas Award acceptance and fireside chat (Yakima Valley Museum, Yakima, WA)
Gorsuch accepted the Yakima Valley Museum's William O. Douglas Award, given for his leadership in defending Native American treaty rights on the Tenth Circuit and Supreme Court, then joined a fireside chat with Ninth Circuit Senior Judge M. Margaret McKeown and Washington Chief Justice Debra Stephens.
Topics: treaty rights, textualism, judicial role
- — Joint keynote conversation with retired Justice Stephen Breyer, Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner (Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention, Washington Hilton, Washington, DC)
Gorsuch and retired Justice Breyer held a rare joint keynote at the Federalist Society's Scalia Memorial Dinner, discussing why regulatory reform matters and modeling cross-ideological engagement, with lighter moments including a reference to Peanut the squirrel.
Topics: regulatory reform, administrative state, cross ideological dialogue, civility
- — A Conversation With Justice Neil Gorsuch on 'The Human Toll of Too Much Law' (National Constitution Center, America's Town Hall (with Janie Nitze; moderated by Jeffrey Rosen))
Constitution Day 2024 town hall in which Gorsuch and co-author Janie Nitze discussed Over Ruled with Jeffrey Rosen, recounting cases from his 18 years on the bench where ordinary Americans faced unanticipated legal consequences.
Topics: too much law, regulation, constitution day, book tour
- — Firing Line with Margaret Hoover: Justice Neil Gorsuch (PBS Firing Line)
Television interview covering Over Ruled, the Court's decision overruling Chevron deference, examples of regulatory overreach, and questions about judicial independence and public confidence in the Court.
Topics: chevron deference, administrative state, judicial independence, public confidence
- — Fox News feature: Americans 'caught by surprise' by too many laws (Fox News Digital)
Fox News feature on Over Ruled in which Gorsuch describes seeing cases where the volume and complexity of law swallowed up ordinary people, citing scholarship that virtually any adult could be indicted for some federal crime.
Topics: overcriminalization, regulation, book tour
- — Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law (Harper / HarperCollins (with Janie Nitze))
Book co-authored with former clerk Janie Nitze arguing that the explosive growth of statutes and regulations harms ordinary Americans, told through stories of a fisherman, Amish farmers, a magician, monks, and others ensnared by legal rules.
Topics: overcriminalization, administrative state, regulation, too much law
- — AP interview on Over Ruled: Americans 'getting whacked' by too many laws (Associated Press (interview in his Supreme Court chambers))
In an AP interview with Mark Sherman ahead of Over Ruled's release, Gorsuch said too much law impairs both safety and liberty, citing the volume of congressional and agency output, and noted the unprecedented nature of the Trump prosecution without taking a position.
getting whacked, unexpectedly, by some legal rule
Topics: overcriminalization, regulation, administrative state, book tour
- — A Republic, If You Can Keep It — Author Talk (William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives, Washington, DC)
Gorsuch discussed his book at the National Archives, sharing reflections on the Constitution as the framers' gift and drawing on his career as lawyer, teacher, judge, and justice.
Topics: civics, constitution, book tour, framers
- — A Republic, If You Can Keep It (Crown Forum / Penguin Random House)
Essay and speech collection, written with former clerks Jane Nitze and David Feder, on the Constitution's separation of powers, the judge's role, and the civic duties of citizens, defending originalism and textualism as the surest guides to interpretation.
Topics: originalism, civics, civility, separation of powers
- — Why Originalism Is the Best Approach to the Constitution (Time (book excerpt))
Excerpt from A Republic, If You Can Keep It arguing that the Constitution's meaning is fixed but applies to modern circumstances, and that departures from originalism produced decisions like Dred Scott and Korematsu.
a theory focused on process, not on substance
Topics: originalism, living constitution, constitutional interpretation
- — Book-launch interviews on civility and the state of the republic (Associated Press / National Law Journal (via ABA Journal))
In interviews around the September 2019 launch of A Republic, If You Can Keep It, Gorsuch warned of a civility crisis, noted that most Americans cannot afford legal representation, and declined to comment on President Trump.
Topics: civility, civic education, access to justice, book tour
- — Keynote Address, Federalist Society 2017 National Lawyers Convention Annual Dinner (Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner, Union Station, Washington, DC)
In his first year on the Court, Gorsuch gave the keynote at the Federalist Society convention dinner named for his predecessor, celebrating originalism and textualism before a convention themed around administrative agencies and the regulatory state.
Topics: originalism, textualism, federalist society, separation of powers
- — Confirmation hearing testimony on precedent and independence (full printed transcript, PDF) (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary)
In the question-and-answer days of his confirmation hearing, Gorsuch described precedent as the anchor of the law while reserving that it is not an inexorable command, and repeatedly declined to preview votes on abortion, guns, and executive power.
Topics: confirmation hearing, precedent, stare decisis
- — Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (S. Hrg. 115-208) (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary)
Over four days of testimony (March 20-23, 2017), Gorsuch described judging as a nonpartisan craft, discussed his approach to precedent and originalism, and declined to signal views on likely future cases.
There is no such thing as a Republican judge or a Democratic judge.
Topics: confirmation hearing, originalism, precedent, judicial independence
- — Of Lions and Bears, Judges and Legislators, and the Legacy of Justice Scalia (2016 Sumner Canary Memorial Lecture) (Case Western Reserve University School of Law; published at 66 Case W. Rsrv. L. Rev. 905 (2016))
In a memorial lecture months after Justice Scalia's death, Gorsuch praised Scalia's project of distinguishing the judicial role from the legislative one and defended originalism and textualism as the proper methods of interpretation.
a lion of the law
Topics: originalism, textualism, scalia legacy, separation of powers
- — Access to Affordable Justice: A Challenge to the Bench, Bar, and Academy (Judicature, vol. 100, no. 3 (Autumn 2016))
Article proposing reforms within the legal profession's control to make justice more affordable: relaxing unauthorized-practice rules, setting early and firm trial dates with more mandatory disclosure, and allowing law practice after two years of law school.
Topics: access to justice, civil procedure, legal education, unauthorized practice
- — Law's Irony (13th Annual Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture) (Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention, Washington, DC; published in Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy vol. 37 (2014))
As a Tenth Circuit judge, Gorsuch delivered the Federalist Society's Olson Memorial Lecture, later published as 'Law's Irony,' reflecting on the costs, delays, and proliferation of law in the American civil justice system.
Topics: access to justice, litigation costs, too much law
- — The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Princeton University Press)
Book based on Gorsuch's Oxford doctoral work presenting a comprehensive argument against legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia, grounded in the principle that human life is intrinsically valuable, while accepting a patient's right to refuse unwanted treatment.
human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is always wrong
Topics: assisted suicide, euthanasia, natural law, bioethics
- — Liberals'N'Lawsuits (National Review Online)
Writing as a private lawyer, Gorsuch argued that progressive groups relied too heavily on federal courts rather than legislatures to advance social policy, citing court-driven campaigns such as same-sex marriage litigation and warning of political backlash.
overweening addiction to the courtroom as a place to debate social policy
Topics: constitutional litigation, judicial restraint, courts and politics