Following President Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the official @POTUS Twitter account sent out a tweet showing a prayer afterwards, which included the wife of the late-Justice Antonin Scalia in attendance:
Moment of prayer last night after my nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for #SCOTUS. It was an honor having Maureen and Fr. Scalia join us. pic.twitter.com/caYOwmeMuG
— President Trump (@POTUS) February 1, 2017
President Donald J. Trump had a masterful announcement about the Supreme Court last night. Today, everyone on social media is talking about it and noting that while nominating Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left after the tragic death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Trump invited Scalia’s widow to the announcement and honored her.
Trump (below) asked her to stand, and said, “With us tonight is Maureen Scalia, a woman loved by her husband and deeply respected by all. I am so happy she is with us.”
He added, “Thank you, Maureen. She’s really the ultimate representative of the late great Justice Antonin Scalia, whose image and genius was in my mind throughout the decision-making process.”
People on Twitter loved the kind, generous move:
How classy
To have the great Conservative late #SCOTUS Justice Scalia widow present & asked to stand before all#SCOTUSnominee
— Hardline Stance (@Hardline_Stance) February 1, 2017
Stroke of genius to include the widow of the great #SCOTUS Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, in the White House announcement ceremony! pic.twitter.com/VAVJtKoTIS
— Belladonna Rogers (@BeladonnaRogers) February 1, 2017
So beautifully touching that #AntoninScalia‘s widow was invited to witness this nomination. #Scalia was truly a leader.
— Desiree (@DesireeAaron) February 1, 2017
Scalia’s widow also met with Judge Gorsuch after the ceremony:
At the White House, Judge #Gorsuch greets Justice Scalia’s widow, Maureen, and their son, Fr. Paul Scalia. pic.twitter.com/xPPoJJUoDw
— Kevin Daley (@KevinDaleyDC) February 1, 2017
Gorsuch, who has been described by the media as “Scalia 2.0,” supports Scalia’s conservative view of the law.
As Professor Robert P. George described, Gorsuch is the perfect choice for the job:
If Democrats are looking for a point of vulnerability in either Gorsuch’s integrity or impartiality, they won’t find it. He is basically a Boy Scout. He’s a faithful husband, a good father, a caring neighbor, a generous friend, a man of probity who holds himself to the highest ethical standards. Oh, and he will bring religious diversity to a Court that is entirely Catholic and Jewish: He’s an Episcopalian.
Gorsuch will be a hard man to depict as a ferocious partisan or an ideological judge, which isn’t to say he won’t be described this way by ideologically partisan critics for whom the prospect of a conservative intellectual giant on the Supreme Court is anything but welcome. As Gorsuch himself has frequently observed, including in a widely noted tribute to Scalia, good judges sometimes have to vote or rule in ways they do not like — because that is what the law requires. Indeed, he noted, if a judge does not sometimes find himself voting or ruling against his own personal beliefs about politics or morality, as Scalia himself famously did in holding that the desecration of the American flag is political expression protected by the First Amendment, that is a sure sign that he is failing to do justice according to law.
What do you think about President Trump honoring Justice Scalia’s widow? Please leave us a comment (below) and tell us.
