By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, was officially sworn in on Monday, ending a 14-month vacancy on America’s highest court.
Gorsuch took the oath of office during a short, private ceremony that will be followed later on Monday with a public oath taking place at the White House. Justice Anthony Kennedy will administer the second swearing-in.
As he takes his Supreme Court seat, Gorsuch will likely tilt the ideological bent of the court to conservatism after the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia, a staunch right-winger who sat on the top court for nearly three decades.
Gorsuch, 49, has long established himself as a strict reader of the original intent of the U.S. constitution, or originalist. He counts Scalia among his sources of inspiration.
Gorsuch’s Senate confirmation was a flashpoint showdown between Republicans and Democrats.
For Democrats, his nomination was a slap in the face to Chief Judge Merrick Garland, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama in March 2016.
But Garland never received a single hearing as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell adamantly resisted any Obama nominee in the hopes of holding out for a Republican victory in last year’s presidential race.
Gorsuch's confirmation last Friday marked the first major victory for Trump in the Republican-controlled legislature.