Laura Ingraham clerked for Justice Thomas.
According to this article by Rev. Rob Schenck, like Gorsuch, Thomas started out as a Catholic but turned into an Episcopalian in adulthood. However, Scalia diverted him back to his Roman Catholic roots. Rev. Schenck writes:
Based on Judge Gorsuch’s reputation for carefully studying the exact details of every legal question that comes before him, and, even more so, for his precise writing skills, I’m left to conclude that his choice of church affiliation is quite an intentional one. Maybe it’s just “pastoral-me,” but I find this fascinating. When it comes to his actions on the bench, Judge Gorsuch is considered a reliable Scalia-like “orginalist.” The very conservative Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation, both of which referred Gorsuch to Trump as a top possible Supreme Court pick, have routinely compared the jurist to the “textualist” Scalia. In contrast, church affiliation is one major point on which the Late Great Scalia would have never found commonality with Gorsuch.The Episcopal Church is, by every measure, a liberal—read that, “quite liberal”—religious body. It was one of the first denominations to promote birth control, something clearly anathema to Scalia, a devout Roman Catholic and father-of-nine. It was also one of the first ecclesiastical judicatories to ordain female clergy, solemnize same-sex unions before they were legal, and consecrate an openly gay bishop. Any one of these factors would be enough to make Antonin Scalia roll over in his grave.
As I studied the prayer circle photo, I did think that, had this appointment been made under different circumstances and while Scalia was still alive, the Great Textual Orginalist may very well have approved of Judge Gorsuch’s legal sensibilities, but never his religious practices. Just as Scalia did with his colleague Clarence Thomas, the Faithful Latin-Rite Catholic likely would have zeroed in on his new colleague’s church membership with a view toward changing it. For Thomas, that resulted with his leaving the Episcopal Church and, under Scalia’s guidance, returning to his Roman Catholic roots—and, to the most conservative kind.
Thanks for confirming what I believed about Laura. Based on what Rev. Schenck wrote, I’d say it’s back to the drawing board on this pick. If Scalia we’re still alive and on the court I would expect he could keep Gorsuch in line. But I am leaning towards no Gorsuch, the more I hear.
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That does not reconcile with his religious affiliation so I don't think affiliation is in play when it comes to his world view. I can almost guarantee that this very issue will end up before the court . That's the slippery slope we are heading towards and this is the right person to be on the court when it comes to, at least, that issue. And the view of the sanctity of human life is a key role here when thinking of Roe vs. Wade as well.