WASHINGTON – Before the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court along party lines, Minnesota's senators joined other Democrats on the panel in criticizing him for not protecting the interests of vulnerable people.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar renewed concern about a Supreme Court decision last month that required schools to provide better services for special education students. The ruling rejected a standard set by Gorsuch on the appeals court in 2008, in which he ruled that a Colorado school district didn't have to pay for the private school tuition of an autistic boy.
She said that it wasn't an example of being bound by precedent – Gorsuch had gone further than he needed to with the law.
"All children, particularly those with disabilities, deserve the tools they need to succeed in life," said Klobuchar.
Klobuchar also criticized Republicans for not holding hearings for Merrick Garland, President Obama's nomination to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.
"He got zero votes, because this Senate and the majority decided to sit on it for almost an entire year," said Klobuchar.
She also voiced concern about a concurring opinion he made in Riddle v. Hickenlooper suggesting that the court scrutinize laws restricting campaign contributions. Klobuchar added that senators had repeatedly asked the judge about his views on campaign finance but were never told what he considered a proper legal standard for evaluating campaign finance laws.
Sen. Franken said he had a "disturbing pattern of siding with corporate interests against everyday Americans." He spoke at length about Gorsuch's dissent in a case involving a truck driver for TransAm, Alphonse Maddin, who argued that he was wrongfully fired for disobeying a supervisor's orders to stay with a faulty trailer for hours in subzero temperatures. Concerned he would freeze to death, Maddin unhitched the trailer and drove away.
