Back in January, President Donald Trump announced his nomination for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. His choice was a Republican by the name of Neil Gorsuch. Trump’s pick has yet to be confirmed, but with a majority of Republicans in the Senate, it seems that Gorsuch will be the newest addition to the Supreme Court.

 So, who is Neil Gorsuch? He is currently a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a position he has held since 2006. Before his appointment, Gorsuch was a Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. He has attended 3 universities to date: Columbia, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts, Harvard Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor, and Oxford, where he obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Law. All of these schools are known to be very prestigious and difficult to get into, let alone succeed in. Gorsuch met his wife, Louise, in England while he attended Oxford, and together they have two daughters, Emma and Belinda Gorsuch. Judge Gorsuch has been known as a fierce conservative throughout all of his political career, and he has published a few writings stating his viewpoints on topics, such as assisted suicide (against); but like most Supreme Court judges, he has kept his viewpoints mostly hidden since Trump announced him as the nominee. At first glance, he seems like a pretty cut-and-dry Republican and an obvious choice for President Trump. However, Gorsuch is not without his surprises. Back in 2007, Gorsuch was the judge for a gang rape case of a Colorado student. When the young woman and her lawyers heard it was Gorsuch that would be assigned to their case, they were immediately discouraged. They had heard of his aggressive interrogation tactics and spent a lot of time preparing to face him. But when the time actually came, Gorsuch was the exact opposite of their expectations. He listened thoroughly to the case, and it was eventually decided in the victim’s favor. On the other side of the spectrum, he recently ruled in a case which said that companies could deny employees government-mandated contraceptive coverage on religious grounds, which earned him praise from the right. Gorsuch is a bit of an enigma with his supporters, which include people from both sides of the political spectrum.

 If he is confirmed, Gorsuch will take the place of Judge Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February of 2016. Gorsuch is not confirmed yet, however. In order to take his seat on the SCOTUS, he needs a majority vote of 60 in the Senate. Republicans currently hold the majority with 52 seats, meaning that the party only has to convince 8 Democrats to vote for Gorsuch in order to confirm him. Still, there are some steadfast Democrats vowing to stop Gorsuch as they are opposed to any more Republicans majorities (the Supreme Court is currently at 4-4, meaning there would be a complete Republican majority in the government if Gorsuch takes the available seat). Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, has hinted at a Democratic filibuster, or a stalling, in Gorsuch’s confirmation. Sophomore Elena Rehberg said, “A lot of people assume things about politicians/judges because of what party they are in, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that. Just because someone is a Republican does not mean they are super religious, or any number of other stereotypes. We should judge people on what they actually do in office.” In addition, many Democrats are concerned about Gorsuch being only 49 years old, meaning he would serve several decades, as SCOTUS seats are appointed for life.