Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Neil Gorsuch

Public opinion and media debates around Neil Gorsuch—discover key moments of controversy.

Neil McGill Gorsuch is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Nominated by President Donald Trump, he assumed office on April 10, 2017. Gorsuch is a prominent figure in the American legal system.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1984: Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

In Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 1984, the Supreme Court instructed courts to grant deference to federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguous laws and regulations.

2005: National Cable & Telecommunications Ass'n v. Brand X Internet Services

Gorsuch criticized National Cable & Telecommunications Ass'n v. Brand X Internet Services, 2005, as an "abdication of judicial duty" and writing that deference is "more than a little difficult to square with the Constitution of the framers' design".

2005: Gorsuch Publishes National Review Article

In a 2005 National Review article, Neil Gorsuch argued that American liberals have become addicted to the courtroom, relying on judges and lawyers rather than elected leaders, which has led to a compromised judiciary.

2016: Wrote dissent in Planned Parenthood v. Herbert case

In 2016, Gorsuch wrote for the four dissenting judges when the Tenth Circuit denied a full rehearing of a divided panel opinion that had ordered the Utah governor to resume Planned Parenthood's funding, which had been blocked due to a video controversy.

2016: Dissented in A.M. v. Holmes case

In 2016, in A.M. v. Holmes, Gorsuch wrote a dissent arguing against qualified immunity for school officials who arrested a 13-year-old for burping and laughing in gym class, stating that the relied upon statute does not criminalize noises that merely disturb a classroom.

2017: Gorsuch's Property Sale Raises Ethics Questions in 2017

In 2017, Neil Gorsuch sold a property he co-owned for $1.8 million to the CEO of a prominent law firm, Greenberg Traurig, raising ethics questions regarding why he did not list the buyer on his ethics form when reporting a profit.

2017: Gorsuch Owned Timeshare and Sold Property

In 2017, it was reported that Neil Gorsuch owned a timeshare outside Granby, Colorado, with associates of Philip Anschutz, which was later sold the same year. Also, since 2017, Greenberg Traurig has been involved in at least 22 cases before or presented to the Supreme Court.

December 2018: Gorsuch Dissent on Planned Parenthood Funding

In December 2018, Neil Gorsuch dissented when the Court voted against hearing cases brought by the states of Louisiana and Kansas to deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.

February 2019: Gorsuch Sides with Conservatives on Louisiana Abortion Law

In February 2019, Neil Gorsuch sided with three of the Court's other conservative justices, rejecting a stay to temporarily block a law restricting abortion in Louisiana. The law would require that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges in a hospital.

2019: Gorsuch Statement on Bump Stock Ban

In 2019, Neil Gorsuch wrote a statement regarding the denial of an application for a stay presented to Roberts in Guedes v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, criticizing the Trump administration's ban on bump stocks and the justification used by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

March 2020: COVID-19 restrictions Begin

In March 2020, COVID-19 restrictions began, which Gorsuch would later criticize as the "greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country."

June 2020: Gorsuch Dissents in June Medical Services, LLC v. Russo

In June 2020, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's abortion restriction in June Medical Services, LLC v. Russo, a 5–4 decision in which Neil Gorsuch was among the four dissenters.

October 2020: Gorsuch Denies Appeal from Kim Davis

In October 2020, Neil Gorsuch agreed with the other justices in a unanimous decision to deny an appeal from Kim Davis, a county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

November 26, 2020: Gorsuch Joins Majority in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo

On November 26, 2020, Neil Gorsuch joined the majority opinion in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, which struck down COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state of New York on houses of worship.

June 2021: Gorsuch Rules in Favor of Catholic Adoption Agency

In June 2021, Neil Gorsuch joined the justices in the unanimous Fulton v. City of Philadelphia decision, ruling in favor of a Catholic adoption agency that had been denied a contract by the City of Philadelphia because the agency refused to adopt to same-sex couples. He also joined Alito's concurrence, arguing for reconsidering Employment Division v. Smith.

September 2021: Gorsuch Sides with Majority in Declining to Block Texas Abortion Law

In September 2021, the Supreme Court declined a petition to block a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks; the vote was 5–4 with Neil Gorsuch in the majority.

November 2021: Gorsuch Dissent Regarding Transgender Patient Hysterectomy

In November 2021, Neil Gorsuch dissented from the Court's 6–3 decision to reject an appeal from Mercy San Juan Medical Center, a hospital affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, which had sought to deny a hysterectomy to a transgender patient on religious grounds. The decision left in place a lower court ruling in the patient's favor.

June 2022: Gorsuch Joins Majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

In June 2022, Neil Gorsuch was among the five justices who formed the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

June 2022: Gorsuch Dissents in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta

In June 2022, in the case Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, Neil Gorsuch derided the court's opinion in his dissent, writing "Where this Court once stood firm, today it wilts."

April 2023: Gorsuch's Property Sale to Greenberg Traurig CEO Revealed

In April 2023, Politico reported that Neil Gorsuch had sold a cabin to Brian Duffy, the CEO of the law firm Greenberg Traurig, which litigates cases before the Supreme Court, but did not disclose the purchaser's identity on his federal disclosure forms.

May 18, 2023: Gorsuch Issues Statement on Title 42 Lawsuit

On May 18, 2023, Neil Gorsuch issued a statement about the Court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit by several states aimed at continuing Title 42 expulsions of immigrants. He criticized many of the restrictions the government had imposed since the pandemic started.

November 2023: Gorsuch Declines to Hear Case Against Washington State's Ban on Conversion Therapy

In November 2023, Neil Gorsuch voted with the 6–3 majority to decline to hear a case against Washington State's ban on conversion therapy for minors, allowing the law to stand.