A confident Justice Neil M. Gorsuch took his seat on the Supreme Court for the first time Monday and quickly joined colleagues in firing questions at lawyers in three highly procedural disputes. Gorsuch and his colleagues were hearing arguments Monday for the first time since President Donald Trump's pick was sworn in April 10.
The justices were being asked if a federal district court has jurisdiction to review cases that involve both alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws and challenges to adverse employment actions or if those appeals must be heard by a federal circuit court.
Gorsuch then said he was "sorry for taking up so much time", according to the AP account.
Gorsuch showcased his brand of textualism from the first question he asked.
The session began with Chief Justice John Roberts welcoming Gorsuch.
In a statement he said that before he came into office in 2016, "government bureaucrats were under orders to deny grants to people of faith who wanted to do things like make community playgrounds for kids".
The case is gaining nationwide attention over the issue of separation of church and state, and it will be among the first high profile cases heard by Justice Gorsuch.
It took Gorsuch less than 20 minutes on Monday to ask his first question - a sharp departure from the notoriously-quiet Thomas, who once went a decade without a single query to the procession of attorneys who appear before the high court.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, counselor", Gorsuch told one of the lawyers in the second case, a property dispute from NY state.
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Spanish defender Marc Bartra was the only one injured and he had to undergo surgery on his wrist and arms. He said, "We are human beings and there is so much more than football in this world".
"The court has recently placed several hot-button cases over for re-arguing in the fall or sent down to lower courts, in part to wait to decide until the full court could hear them", said Jared Perkins, political science professor at Texas Tech University.
The case itself isn't the problem for Justice Gorsuch. They include a clash Tuesday over the power of the Securities and Exchange Commission to recoup illegal profits and arguments Wednesday in a closely watched church-state dispute.
Three cases will be before the court.
Throughout the years, newly confirmed Justice Gorsuch has shown himself to be an upholder of constitutionally granted freedoms with a strong foundation in the legal field and a mind for responsible decision making guided by the law.
"If you'd just answer my question, I'd be grateful", Gorsuch said, flashing frustration.
Justice Neil Gorsuch made his big debut in the Supreme Court's marble courtroom on Monday.
This "nuclear option" allowed the Democratic filibuster to be broken by Republicans, as it allows the filibusters of Supreme Court nominees to be broken by a simple fifty-one majority rather than the normal supermajority of sixty required votes.
Gorsuch sparred with a lawyer for a developer hoping to build on the land but did not directly engage with Katyal.
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