Melissa Murray quoted by The Press Democrat, Feb. 1, 2017
Gorsuch would restore the court to the conservative tilt it held with Scalia on the bench, but Trump’s choice “makes it very difficult for Democrats to contest this nomination because he is so qualified,” said Melissa Murray, interim dean of the University of California at Berkeley law school.
Daniel Farber writes for Politico Magazine, Feb. 1, 2017
Gorsuch wrote a clear, persuasive opinion in favor of upholding the renewable energy law. What I have read about his other opinions—and what I have heard from colleagues who knew him at earlier points in his life—reinforces my view that he is a thoughtful, principled judge, albeit one who is more conservative than I would like.
Andrew Bradt quoted by Buzzfeed, Jan. 31, 2017
“We’re not dealing in a world where various interest groups have had time to strategize a litigation approach. Rather, we have a bit of a free for all. And when there’s a free for all, that’s when intervention makes sense, because courts want to make sure that all of the relevant parties have a seat at the table,” Bradt said.
John Yoo quoted by Las Vegas Review Journal, Jan. 31, 2017
The Gorsuch nomination “is a great pick and a safe pick,” former George W. Bush attorney John Yoo opined. “It’s the most conservative person who could get confirmed. It’s very hard to see how the left is going to ‘Bork’ him,” said Yoo, now a University of California, Berkeley law professor, in a reference to the harsh vetting that killed the 1987 nomination of Judge Robert Bork.
John Yoo quoted by US News & World Report, Jan. 31, 2017
“This is a big mistake,” Yoo says. “Such a policy would prevent the U.S. from targeting Anwar al-Awlaki, for example. It would create a force field around any U.S. citizen who joins al-Qaida or ISIS. Al-Qaida and ISIS leaders would immediately start recruiting Americans, even more heavily than now, and placing them in leadership positions.”
Steven Davidoff Solomon quoted by The New York Times, Jan. 31, 2017
So how will Washington look at this acquisition? In a basic sense, the threat to national security is tangential — this is a payment service with many competitors. Yet MoneyGram is part of the backbone of domestic and international wire transfer.
Daniel Farber interviewed by KTVU, Jan. 31, 2017
UC Berkeley professor Daniel Farber remembers reading one of Gorsuch’s opinions on an environmental case. “I thought he wrote a very strong opinion; very clear, very persuasive.”
Daniel Farber quoted by Law360, Jan. 30, 2017
“I think what the order really does is make it nearly impossible to do new regulations. Or at least new regulations that aren’t mandated by law by a certain deadline. And the administration didn’t want to do any new regulations anyway,” said Dan Farber.
David Carrillo cited by LA Weekly, Jan. 30, 2017
David Carrillo, executive director of Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center, points to the center’s analysis of the prospects for secession, which argues that there is no secession authority granted in either the U.S. or California constitution.
John Yoo co-writes for Los Angeles Times, Jan. 29, 2017
The president should focus like a laser on judicial philosophy. Trump must nominate a justice based on his view of the proper interpretation of the Constitution. The oath he swore — to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” — means that just as he wouldn’t sign an unconstitutional bill, he must not nominate a judge who holds views at odds with the Constitution.