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Gorsuch: The Judge Who Speaks for Himself
Learn all about Neil Gorsuch, the youngest judge to be nominated to the Supreme Court in twenty-five years, with this comprehensive and fascinating biography.
When forty-nine-year-old Neil Gorsuch was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump, he was told by a senator, “We need to know what’s in your heart.” Now, acclaimed author John Greenya seeks to answer that question with this captivating book.
Born in Colorado, Gorsuch remains somewhat of a mystery to Democrats and Republicans alike. Based on intense research and interviews with people who have known Gorsuch in all periods of his life, both his opponents and his friends—from his early work as a lawyer and his year as a Justice Department official, to his ten-and-a-half years on the Federal bench, this is the best way to learn more about the conservative replacement to Justice Antonin Scalia.
When forty-nine-year-old Neil Gorsuch was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump, he was told by a senator, “We need to know what’s in your heart.” Now, acclaimed author John Greenya seeks to answer that question with this captivating book.
Born in Colorado, Gorsuch remains somewhat of a mystery to Democrats and Republicans alike. Based on intense research and interviews with people who have known Gorsuch in all periods of his life, both his opponents and his friends—from his early work as a lawyer and his year as a Justice Department official, to his ten-and-a-half years on the Federal bench, this is the best way to learn more about the conservative replacement to Justice Antonin Scalia.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 2, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 30, 2018
Sorry to say, this book is hagiography and does not give a rounded picture of Judge Gorsuch. When one is reduced to praising a subject’s school (“it is the finest, most famous, best-regarded,” yada yada) rather than the subject’s own talents, perhaps those fabled skills aren’t worth talking about.
But this book is odd in another way. The author apparently did not interview Gorsuch for this book. He talks generally about the work of federal law clerks, and speaks to people who knew Gorsuch growing up, at school, at work, etc. but never spoke with the man. Those interviewed liked him. I’d be surprised if anyone with connections to a SCOTUS nominee went on the record dissing that nominee. Such figures cast long shadows.
And finally, Greenya ghost-wrote Gorsuch’s mother’s apologia when she was dismissed as head of the EPA under Reagan. What this book does is to gather together some of what has been written to date in other sources to present a picture of a man who is “very good at sounding reasonable, but [who takes] really right-wing positions,” said Columbia University fellow student Jordan Kushner of Minneapolis.
Greenya takes some time to introduce Gorsuch’s grandfather and parents and their work. All were lawyers—can you imagine dinnertime conversation? Greenya describes how Gorsuch’s mother was chosen to run the EPA under Reagan, agreeing to defang it. She was expendable to the greater goals of the White House, and one can’t help but wonder if she was chosen for just that expendable quality. (Sexism raises its ugly head everywhere then, though she’d probably deny it.)
The analysis in this book is sparse between extended quotes from other sources and pointed towards a thesis: that Gorsuch is the best doggone judge the world has seen, and full of righteousness. It is not very effective. Even if one uses Gorsuch’s own writings from cases he has adjudicated, pulling out a paragraph or two is unlikely to shed enough light into his psyche.
Answering the charge from dissenters of this thesis that Gorsuch favors large corporations over individual citizens. Greenya writes anecdotes about a person who tepidly recounts Gorsuch doing something empathic and arguing against extortionate charges—not really the evidentiary defense Greenya gives for Gorsuch arguing for the rights of corporations over individual’s rights.
Regarding Roe v Wade, Gorsuch wouldn’t answer when asked about this in confirmation except to say that he cares “deeply about the law and an independent judiciary and following the rules of the law.” Cold comfort, since interpretation of the law is what he is being called to do, it not being clear except that it is meant to make the life of citizens better. Gorsuch living in a house full of women should pause and consider what they would do for themselves, had they the opportunity.
Look, the author says Gorsuch from a youth was straight as an arrow, and good at debating: he apparently liked hearing the sound of his own voice and argued angles and positions others hadn’t, wouldn’t. Choosing a non-mainstream position and arguing it well doesn’t mean one is brilliant. It means one is canny, distinguishing oneself by being different. Being different is exactly what we don’t want in our judges. We want judges who can do for us what we cannot do in our great numbers—speak for us with seriousness and gravitas.
Gorsuch has too much ego for my taste. I would have steered clear of someone so clearly in love with himself. He appears to me to have forgotten he is a servant of the people, but also a leader. If he does neither, is he a good fit for SCOTUS?
Greenya tells us Stanford law professor Deborah L. Rhode, on the occasion of Gorsuch addressing the Fund for American Studies, a conservative group, six months or so after his confirmation intimated that Gorsuch speeches raise questions of independence, and that Gorsuch may be “ethically tone-deaf.” This is something we will have to watch in years to come. Perhaps the people still have a say in this after all.
But this book is odd in another way. The author apparently did not interview Gorsuch for this book. He talks generally about the work of federal law clerks, and speaks to people who knew Gorsuch growing up, at school, at work, etc. but never spoke with the man. Those interviewed liked him. I’d be surprised if anyone with connections to a SCOTUS nominee went on the record dissing that nominee. Such figures cast long shadows.
And finally, Greenya ghost-wrote Gorsuch’s mother’s apologia when she was dismissed as head of the EPA under Reagan. What this book does is to gather together some of what has been written to date in other sources to present a picture of a man who is “very good at sounding reasonable, but [who takes] really right-wing positions,” said Columbia University fellow student Jordan Kushner of Minneapolis.
Greenya takes some time to introduce Gorsuch’s grandfather and parents and their work. All were lawyers—can you imagine dinnertime conversation? Greenya describes how Gorsuch’s mother was chosen to run the EPA under Reagan, agreeing to defang it. She was expendable to the greater goals of the White House, and one can’t help but wonder if she was chosen for just that expendable quality. (Sexism raises its ugly head everywhere then, though she’d probably deny it.)
The analysis in this book is sparse between extended quotes from other sources and pointed towards a thesis: that Gorsuch is the best doggone judge the world has seen, and full of righteousness. It is not very effective. Even if one uses Gorsuch’s own writings from cases he has adjudicated, pulling out a paragraph or two is unlikely to shed enough light into his psyche.
Answering the charge from dissenters of this thesis that Gorsuch favors large corporations over individual citizens. Greenya writes anecdotes about a person who tepidly recounts Gorsuch doing something empathic and arguing against extortionate charges—not really the evidentiary defense Greenya gives for Gorsuch arguing for the rights of corporations over individual’s rights.
Regarding Roe v Wade, Gorsuch wouldn’t answer when asked about this in confirmation except to say that he cares “deeply about the law and an independent judiciary and following the rules of the law.” Cold comfort, since interpretation of the law is what he is being called to do, it not being clear except that it is meant to make the life of citizens better. Gorsuch living in a house full of women should pause and consider what they would do for themselves, had they the opportunity.
Look, the author says Gorsuch from a youth was straight as an arrow, and good at debating: he apparently liked hearing the sound of his own voice and argued angles and positions others hadn’t, wouldn’t. Choosing a non-mainstream position and arguing it well doesn’t mean one is brilliant. It means one is canny, distinguishing oneself by being different. Being different is exactly what we don’t want in our judges. We want judges who can do for us what we cannot do in our great numbers—speak for us with seriousness and gravitas.
Gorsuch has too much ego for my taste. I would have steered clear of someone so clearly in love with himself. He appears to me to have forgotten he is a servant of the people, but also a leader. If he does neither, is he a good fit for SCOTUS?
Greenya tells us Stanford law professor Deborah L. Rhode, on the occasion of Gorsuch addressing the Fund for American Studies, a conservative group, six months or so after his confirmation intimated that Gorsuch speeches raise questions of independence, and that Gorsuch may be “ethically tone-deaf.” This is something we will have to watch in years to come. Perhaps the people still have a say in this after all.
July 5, 2018
Normally I don't love non-fiction as much but I really enjoyed the way John Greenya told Judge Gorsuch's story. A lot of it can repeat itself but a good read.
May 18, 2022
i think the main reason i liked this book was because i read it right after “the chief.” since the chief mentions a lot about the roberts court in the trump era and gorsuch’s nomination, this book was a great follow-up and i could connect a lot of points between the two books.
this book was a pretty quick read and very straightforward, although repetitive at times with a few spelling errors (both of which are not a big deal) i did a little research and found out that the author is liberal, which i really appreciate because he didn’t have any implicit bias against gorsuch at all and actually painted him as a brilliant judge.
this book was a pretty quick read and very straightforward, although repetitive at times with a few spelling errors (both of which are not a big deal) i did a little research and found out that the author is liberal, which i really appreciate because he didn’t have any implicit bias against gorsuch at all and actually painted him as a brilliant judge.
March 8, 2018
Clear, exceptionally readable work. It usually takes me months to get through nonfiction books, but I polished this one off in a couple of weeks.
The good: mostly fair, evenhanded picture of the newest member of the Supreme Court. Enjoyable, quick read. I read every news article I could find on Gorsuch when he was nominated, and I still learned a lot about him from this book.
The bad: Occasionally gets side-tracked with seemingly-irrelevant details, like a side-story about a historical Supreme Court justice. Gave me the impression of being "center-left" in its bias due to some word choices and a seemingly-disproportionate amount of attention being given to criticisms of Gorsuch by left-wing special interest groups. On the whole, it also seemed somewhat incomplete, due to the many areas of Gorsuch's political/theological beliefs that are still unknown to the public and thus went unexplored. This last point is not the author's fault but I thought it worth mentioning anyway.
Hopefully we will learn more about the justice through his future opinions and public appearances. I appreciated the way this book portrayed him, as a man just as principled & opinionated as Scalia, but more amiable and agreeable in his writing style.
The good: mostly fair, evenhanded picture of the newest member of the Supreme Court. Enjoyable, quick read. I read every news article I could find on Gorsuch when he was nominated, and I still learned a lot about him from this book.
The bad: Occasionally gets side-tracked with seemingly-irrelevant details, like a side-story about a historical Supreme Court justice. Gave me the impression of being "center-left" in its bias due to some word choices and a seemingly-disproportionate amount of attention being given to criticisms of Gorsuch by left-wing special interest groups. On the whole, it also seemed somewhat incomplete, due to the many areas of Gorsuch's political/theological beliefs that are still unknown to the public and thus went unexplored. This last point is not the author's fault but I thought it worth mentioning anyway.
Hopefully we will learn more about the justice through his future opinions and public appearances. I appreciated the way this book portrayed him, as a man just as principled & opinionated as Scalia, but more amiable and agreeable in his writing style.
March 18, 2018
As a Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch definitely proves to be one of the most qualified individuals for such a prestigious position. I think many would trust Gorsuch to evaluate the Constitution with utmost impartiality and rectitude. This book has detailed the resilience of one of the most formidable Justices currently serving on the Supreme Court. His liberal critiques notwithstanding, Gorsuch himself retains his unilateral stances while refraining from engaging in political strife. His character and acumen leave no doubt about his abilities in jurisprudence. America is a lucky girl to have such an outstanding persona serving as a Supreme Court Justice.
Candidly, Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the highest court in the nation is arguably the only considerable accomplishment precipitated by the Trump administration.
Candidly, Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the highest court in the nation is arguably the only considerable accomplishment precipitated by the Trump administration.
October 4, 2018
When I saw this on the library shelf, I grabbed it, because I'm interested in politics and, having somewhat of a liberal leaning, was interested to see what someone might bring as proof in favor of their positive view of this conservative justice.
While I enjoyed the readability of this text, as a biography, I found it wanting. We get brief sketches of Gorsuch's roots, childhood, school years, and career, but much it felt like it was just skimming the surface. My favorite section of the book was the excerpts from and analysis of Gorsuch's writing, since I felt like that was where the substance of the title (and the book) came to the fore.
I would recommend this book for someone who wanted an easy, quick, lightly informative glimpse of who the newest SCOTUS justice; (well, as of this review. I get that statement may be inaccurate within a week's time).
While I enjoyed the readability of this text, as a biography, I found it wanting. We get brief sketches of Gorsuch's roots, childhood, school years, and career, but much it felt like it was just skimming the surface. My favorite section of the book was the excerpts from and analysis of Gorsuch's writing, since I felt like that was where the substance of the title (and the book) came to the fore.
I would recommend this book for someone who wanted an easy, quick, lightly informative glimpse of who the newest SCOTUS justice; (well, as of this review. I get that statement may be inaccurate within a week's time).
May 11, 2018
I found the book enjoyable, informative and a fast read, but since the author was unable to do an interview with Gorsuch himself, the book felt like a compilation/summary of interviews and news articles, which made it feel disjointed and lack the personal depth. Overall, it felt like the author was trying too hard to point out that Gorsuch was independent and not an ideologue, which is actually impossible for him to say at this point. Overall, I’d recommend it but wouldn’t expect anything deeper than a plot summary of his life.
February 23, 2018
I enjoyed the book at times, but I think the book would have been served better with more focus on Justice Gorsuch and his track record when the author goes into describing people, places or processes that only indirectly involve Gorsuch. I think I have a better picture of who Neil Gorsuch is, and I look forward to seeing how his tenure in the ‘second’ highest court in the land (you’ll get the reference when you read the book) proceeds.
July 24, 2018
It was informative, interesting, and well written for over half of it. I fear the author might be a little bias as it seems to be almost all about how great a guy Gorsuch is. But maybe he really is a guy with little to no personal issues.
July 28, 2018
I am not politically minded and generally don't get involved in conversations regarding the Supreme Court. However, I found this book interesting for two reasons ... after reading this I like Judge Gorsuch I believe him to be an honest and very interesting individual. #2, my brother wrote the book and this is his 2nd book about a Supreme Court Justice (look it up) so he does know about which he writes.
December 28, 2018
Editors need to revisit this book. There are repeat passages, some names are spelled wrong (including NMG's!), etc. Parts of the book also read as if the author was trying to explain who the justice is by juxtaposing him with other people (Obama, Kagan, Scalia, etc). I don't think it's ripe for anyone to be writing judicial bios of Gorsuch, yet. He's got to keep opining for a sustained period of time before we should start producing and consuming stuff like this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews