washington eight months lifetime u.s. supreme court appointment neil gorsuch give every indication vote key case remark bench stalwart conservative legal agenda president donald trump promise still early career justice could span decades gorsuch already establish among conservative members top u.s. court shy express view sometimes idiosyncratic ways also make public appearances conservative audiences include speech republican president trump international hotel downtown washington draw rebuke liberal critics question independence president nominate gorsuch record far suggest go reliably conservative vote say carolyn shapiro law professor chicago-kent college law trump candidate promise pick justice mold late conservative icon antonin scalia set move federal judiciary right gorsuch appointment big step yet toward goal restore high court 5-4 conservative majority gorsuch april confirmation republican-led senate despite strong democratic opposition provide one trump big political victories since take office january write gorsuch twitter tuesday trump say proud job reject washington post report consider rescind gorsuch nomination spring jurist say attack judiciary like make trump dishearten demoralize newspaper report trump vent angrily advisers gorsuch may sufficiently loyal trump respond never even waver court roll 2018 big rule ahead free speech gay right vote right employee right legal experts say trump able rely gorsuch new justice deliver key vote back trump travel ban people several muslim-majority countries death penalty embrace certain kinds public fund church arguments month one court big case current term gorsuch signal sympathy conservative christian baker contend within constitutional right refuse create wed cake gay couple gorsuch decline interview request article inside supreme court chamber outside gorsuch 50-year-old coloradoan speak mind intimidate new justice say john malcolm lawyer conservative heritage foundation think tank gorsuch regularly side fellow conservative justices legal fight three versions trump travel ban gorsuch side president four different occasion june one three justices would let trump second travel ban go full effect court vote 6-3 allow limit version ban death penalty gorsuch among four conservative dissenters court september grant stay execution georgia inmate april first record vote court part 5-4 conservative majority decline stay execution request arkansas inmate court 2018 set rule two case one wisconsin another maryland involve practice draw legislative district state way intend entrench one party power know partisan gerrymander rule could influence u.s. elections decades base oct. oral argument wisconsin case democratic voters challenge republican-drawn electoral map unclear court rule gorsuch use culinary analogy express doubt argument democratic challengers legal theory remind little bite steak rub gorsuch say like turmeric like little ingredients go tell much court suppose pinch pinch november speech host federalist society conservative legal group gorsuch confidently tout judicial ideology stress importance interpret u.s. constitution base original mean narrowly read text laws pass congress tonight say sustain applause report person commit originalist textualist confirm supreme court unite state trump 's supreme court appointee gorsuch plot rightward course