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WASHINGTON \u2013 Disagreeing without being disagreeable is the way many friends, bosses, co-workers, and former law clerks describe fourth-generation Coloradan and Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s Gorsuch pausing to ask a courthouse security guard about his family, or letting a former law clerk\u2019s 3-year-old son ride one of his horses, Gorsuch is \u201cnot shy about inviting people into his world,\u201d said former law clerk Jason Murray.<\/p>\n
The affable judge values getting along with others, regardless of political views.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe genuinely likes people, and they like him. It\u2019s not just a show that he puts on of being a nice guy,\u201d said Mark Champoux, who clerked for Gorsuch in 2007-2008.<\/p>\n
Gorsuch\u2019s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court is to be taken up Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n
Born in Denver in 1967, Gorsuch moved to Washington, D.C., with his mother as a teen, and after attending college and law school, he was back in the nation\u2019s capital working at a law firm and then as deputy associate attorney general at the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
He returned to Colorado in 2006 after being appointed as a judge to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gorsuch, 49, lives in Boulder with his wife and two daughters, and his expansive property is filled with horses, goats and chickens, and includes an orchard. An outdoors enthusiast, he enjoys skiing, fly fishing and hiking.<\/p>\n Regardless of where he\u2019s lived, people who have worked with or alongside him lauded his warm personality, which many attributed to his Western roots.<\/p>\n While Gorsuch clerked on the Supreme Court for Justice Byron White and Justice Anthony Kennedy, other Supreme Court clerks with whom he rarely interacted got the impression that Gorsuch was a nice person.<\/p>\n \u201cNeil is obviously very smart and very well-credentialed, but also, he\u2019s just a very nice guy. He\u2019s a gentlemanly and cordial fellow,\u201d said Eugene Volokh, who clerked for Justice Sandra Day O\u2019Connor at the same time and is now a professor at the UCLA Law School.<\/p>\n Before Gorsuch sat on the bench, he was an associate and partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got that nice, affable Western demeanor and great interpersonal skills. He made a lot of friends wherever he went, including at the firm,\u201d said Mark Hansen, Gorsuch\u2019s former boss at the firm.<\/p>\n During his time as a trial attorney, Gorsuch\u2019s personality was able to shine through.<\/p>\n \u201cTrial lawyers tend to have a bit of personality, and they\u2019re witty, and they\u2019re funny. And you can definitely see that in Judge Gorsuch,\u201d said Theresa Wardon, who clerked for Gorsuch from 2008 to 2009.<\/p>\n Gorsuch also is credited with being a driving force behind the cooperative environment among the judges in the 10th Circuit.<\/p>\n \u201cHe values collegiality very highly. The 10th Circuit<\/a> is much more unified and collegial than a lot of other circuit courts around the country. Even when you have cases where the judges disagree, they generally manage to have good relationships, and those relationships persist despite those disagreements,\u201d said Murray, who clerked for the judge in 2011 and 2012.<\/p>\n Even though Gorsuch identifies as a Republican, supporters say he doesn\u2019t choose his law clerks or make legal judgments based on party loyalties.<\/p>\n \u201cFor him, judging isn\u2019t based on personal beliefs or politics. I think that\u2019s kind of refreshing these days,\u201d said Wardon, who is a Democrat.<\/p>\n A letter sent by more than 200 Colorado attorneys from across the political spectrum to U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, and Michael Bennet, D-Colorado said, \u201cWe know Judge Gorsuch to be a person of utmost character. He is fair, decent, and honest, both as a judge and a person.\u201d<\/p>\n Gorsuch friendliness extends to those he mentors.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like he took a lot of time to get to know his law clerks and to interact with them outside of chambers as well as inside of chambers. He would like to chat with us and hear what was going on in our lives,\u201d said Katherine Yarger, who clerked for Gorsuch in 2009-10.<\/p>\n And for Gorsuch, that mentorship continues.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has continued to provide advice even beyond my Supreme Court clerkship about different decisions about where to work and what type of opportunities to pursue,\u201d said Yarger, who clerked for Justice Elena Kagan after clerking for Gorsuch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get this lifelong mentor. Because he\u2019s so young, I will probably get the privilege of his guidance and mentorship for most of my career,\u201d Wardon said.<\/p>\n