Neil Gorsuch's views on abortion to be tested by supreme court filing

[turbinetree]

Source: The Guardian

An urgent appeal to the supreme court by Planned Parenthood has created an unexpected early test of Justice Neil Gorsuch’s views on abortion restrictions.

The court’s newest member has never spoken publicly in any significant detail on one of the most divisive issues he will deal with as a justice, and he gave evasive answers about abortion during his confirmation hearing before the Senate.

But on Friday, Planned Parenthood challenged abortion restrictions before the court for the first time since Gorsuch joined the bench, effectively compelling him to weigh in.

At issue is whether a law preventing three Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri from performing abortions should remain in effect while the group challenges the restriction in federal court. Planned Parenthood previously convinced a district judge to suspend the law, but on 15 September, the eighth circuit court of appeals stayed the judge’s decision.

Planned Parenthood has appealed the matter to the supreme court. The court’s decision, and Gorsuch’s position, is expected to be published in a matter of weeks – if Gorsuch doesn’t first weigh in by himself. Because procedural issues like this one are overseen by an individual justice, and Gorsuch is the justice with jurisdiction over the eighth circuit, the power to block Missouri’s law, leave it in place, or refer the matter to all nine justices initially belongs to him.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/22/neil-gorsuch-abortion-rights-supreme-court-planned-parenthood-missouri

---

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. If you don't believe in abortion, then don't have one.

And don't judge or second guess anyone else. Ever.

Oh, and if you are not able to become pregnant, such in as you don't have the requisite plumbing, you're not even entitled to an opinion. And, at the risk of repeating myself, if you (those with the requisite plumbing) don't believe in abortion, then don't have one.

[Kath2]

8. Very well-said.

I have ALWAYS said that. If you are against abortion don"t have one. AND LEAVE THOSE WHO WANT/NEED ONE ALONE!!

Pisses me off. "Pro-life." What a lie that is.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. Some years back, a young friend (he was maybe 12 at the time) who loved

challenging me on these things, made the mistake of bringing up abortion. I said, "Caleb, if you don't believe in abortion then don't have one." He didn't say anything for maybe two full minutes, and then said, "You've made me rethink my position."

I want to say that this young man is one of the people I sincerely dislike the most on this planet. I'm pretty good friends with his mother (we're friends because Caleb any my younger son were classmates in pre-school) but it's a bit fraught, because they are conservative Christians. They are in my life to help me understand that we need to not judge others, but it's hard. Very hard. In the early years we (the Mom and I) simply avoided anything along the lines of a political discussion, because without actually discussing it, we knew we liked each other well enough to get over those differences. To be honest, the reason the friendship has lasted this long (more than two decades) is that we don't see a lot of each other. And when we do, we don't discuss truly elemental things, but stick to such topics as: How are you? How are your kids? How are your grandchildren?

Sometimes we have to make accommodations.

[Kath2]

15. I have relationships like that, too.

Mainly with relatives.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. "They are in my life to help me understand that we need to not judge others...."

Hahahaha.

That explains a lot of humanity.

Thanks for that.

[SergeStorms]

11. "What a lie that is"....

is entirely correct. These are the same people who won't hesitate one second to send our nation's youth onto the killing fields to fight for Exxon-Mobil. I'm not willing to sacrifice one individual for corporate profits.

[HAB911]

14. If babies were born in uniform

they would have no problem with abortion

[Cryptoad]

2. I give u thre guesses where his shit falls,,,,,,,,

[bluestarone]

3. i think

the fucking bases are loaded them dirty bastards

[BigmanPigman]

4. He is worse than Scalia.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Hail, Gorsuch. Put into a formerly respected position by an insane, grotesque, perverted dirtbag.

Who wouldn't respect him now, with so many years to destroy what's left of the country stretching out ahead of him?

[sharedvalues]

6. Stolen seat

I'm with Daou on this

Link to tweet

[burrowowl]

10. Yes, the seat was stolen

[sharedvalues]

7. And Gorsuch is now campaigning for McConnell. He's a GOP politician now.

Link to tweet

[Honeycombe8]

12. He's uber religious, isn't he? He's pro-life. Trump said he'd nominate someone who is pro-life.nt

[Funtatlaguy]

13. Yowsa....

Ummm.....is the Pope....?
Gorsuch and Pence will soon rule our country.
Pence will make him Chief Justice.
And when Kennedy or one of the 4 Progressives leave.....just wait....
An Eclisiastical Dominionist reign is eminent.
It's the only way that the corporate masters can keep the proletariat on their side.

[Bayard]

16. Well, that's a civics lesson for me

I didn't know there was such a procedure. I thought every decision was by the whole Court.

[demigoddess]

18. I am sick of these idiots trying to make the rules for women's bodies.

Half the time they have no idea how the plumbing works!!! Even some women are in this category. I had to explain birth defects to my republican voting sister in law recently.

[Sunlei]

19. guess this wasn't written yet?

[Sunlei]

20. does anyone know if Gorsuch has written his opinion yet?

Last I read he was having some difficulty understanding his new lifetime of work?

[Princess Turandot]

21. Back on October 2, Planned Parenthood withdrew their request for a SCOTUS injunction...

...because after clarifying that their 9/22 order was only a temporary stay pending a review, the full 8th Circuit DENIED Missouri's request to freeze the District Court's ruling that the law was unconstitutional, pending the state's appeal of that decision:

Planned Parenthood withdraws application in Missouri case

A challenge to two Missouri abortion requirements has ended its trip to the Supreme Court – at least for now. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood notified the Supreme Court tonight that they were withdrawing their request to block a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit after that court ruled in the group’s favor. Today’s order means that a decision by a federal district judge that blocked the state from enforcing two of its abortion requirements can go into effect while the state appeals the district court’s ruling.

http://www.scotusblog.com/2017/10/planned-parenthood-withdraws-application-missouri-case/

This was never going to be up to Gorsuch alone. If he denied their request, PP would have requested that another justice take a look at it. On the most contentious topics (i.e. abortion, death penalty stays, gay rights), the justice for the district that gets the initial request usually refers it promptly to the full court to stay everyone's time. (At most, they might ask for the other party to respond to the issue, since that's generally needed.) I don't know if he would have done that as it's convention not an actual 'rule', but the next judge would have.

[Sunlei]

22. Thank you & thanks for link to scotusblog.