Ep. 246 - Promise Kept: Trump Picks Gorsuch!

Reflections

Ben Shapiro reflects on his initial skepticism about Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, admitting he was proven wrong and expressing satisfaction with the outcome. He acknowledges that Trump fulfilled his promise by selecting a textualist, Neil Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court, which aligns with conservative judicial philosophy 1. Shapiro humorously mentions a bet with Michael Knowles, highlighting his willingness to admit mistakes and celebrate Trump's decision 2.

I said right after Trump was elected that I would be more than overjoyed if Trump would prove me wrong on things. And this is something he proved me wrong about.

--- Ben Shapiro

The New York Times' reaction to Gorsuch's nomination is critiqued by Shapiro, who argues that their complaints about the process and Gorsuch's conservative stance are unfounded 2.

   

Implications

Shapiro delves into the broader implications of Gorsuch's nomination for conservative politics, emphasizing Gorsuch's coherent judicial philosophy. He praises Gorsuch for adhering to a textualist approach, interpreting the Constitution as it was originally intended, similar to Justice Scalia 3. This philosophy, Shapiro argues, is crucial for maintaining a constitutional rather than a politically driven judiciary.

Gorsuch does something different. He says, no, that allows for impermissible abdication of duty by Congress.

--- Ben Shapiro

Shapiro also highlights Gorsuch's stance against Chevron deference, which he believes concentrates too much power in executive bureaucracies, thus supporting a balance of power among government branches 4.