Supreme Court nominee may pose threat to students

By Gillian Casey
February 1

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — President Trump nominated Neil

Gorsuch to the Supreme Court Tuesday, replacing the late Justice
Antonin Scalia.

If confirmed, Gorsuch will restore the 5-4 Republican-controlled

Supreme Court, according to BBC News.

While Trump is keeping a promise he made throughout his

campaign, many Democrats have doubts about Gorsuch.

Condemned by Democrats for his 2013 Hobby Lobby case,

Gorsuch ruled that religious employers could restrict their
employees’ access to contraceptives.

Some students at the University of Maryland disagree with

University of Maryland Campus Gorsuch’s ruling, and many do not understand his reasoning for it.
Photo by Gillian Casey
“By providing affordable and accessible birth control to women,
there will be fewer abortions because there would be fewer unwanted pregnancies,” said Alaina
Kahn, a sophomore psychology and family science double major at the University of Maryland.

Kahn worries about how Gorsuch’s conservative stance will affect her. She is not alone in her
concerns for the future of reproductive rights under Gorsuch.

“Due to Gorsuch’s history with the Hobby Lobby case and his strict interpretation of the
Constitution, I believe that he may make decisions that limit my reproductive health rights,” said
Madison Meyer, a sophomore at the University of Maryland.

While University of Maryland President Wallace Loh has not made a statement about the
nomination, Loh believes students should remain active in these uncertain times.

“[W]e have an obligation to speak out when government actions are fundamentally antithetical to
the core values and missions of the institution,” Loh said in an email to students Tuesday.

However, others believe Gorsuch may be the best candidate the Trump administration will see.
While Meyer is concerned this nomination could endanger her access to reliable and affordable
birth control, she does not think Gorsuch will have much of a negative impact.

If confirmed, Gorsuch would restore the ideological balance established before Justice Scalia’s
death, according to CNN News.
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However, 49-year-old Gorsuch could continue Trump’s promises even after the president leaves
office.

It is possible for Trump to make one more nomination during his first term.

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