Senators' Questions of Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch Show Stark Partisan Divide

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch received a warm reception from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including the two senators from Texas, during day two of his confirmation hearings.As Republicans asked Gorsuch to discuss his views on the importance of precedent and the role of the judiciary in general, Democrats on the committee hammered Gorsuch on everything from religious tests and maternity leave to campaign finance and torture.Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who’s been a vocal advocate for Gorsuch since President Donald Trump first announced the nomination in January, greeted Gorsuch warmly. They joked about having hard-to-pronounce last names -- Gorsuch’s last name often gets auto-corrected to “Grouch,” the nominee said yesterday.During the rest of Cornyn’s half-hour of questioning, he found creative ways to praise Gorsuch, while defending the nominee from some of the criticism raised by Democrats on the committee.“Judge, I have a pretty basic question for you,” Cornyn began. “Does a good judge decide who should win, and then work backward to try to justify the outcome?”Gorsuch smiled.“That’s the easiest question of the day, Senator, thank you,” he said. “No.”  Continue reading...