<p>It&rsquo;s been more than a year since Antonin Scalia&rsquo;s death and the Supreme Court is still one judge short. This Monday, President Trump&rsquo;s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch began the confirmation process. ;</p>
<p>Trump did not handpick Gorsuch, instead relying on the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society for lists of candidates.</p>
<p>Gorsuch has already separated himself from the president by defending the role of federal judges in the nation&rsquo;s justice system &ndash; a role Trump has often criticized.</p>
<p>Speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee this Monday, Gorsuch ;portrayed himself as a mainstream judge. He touted his experience working with fellow jurists, saying he dissented in only 1% of his cases.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Sometimes the answers we reach aren&rsquo;t ones we would personally prefer,&rdquo; said Gorsuch, implying that he would put the law above his own beliefs. Gorsuch also mentioned that he has ruled both for and against prisoners, illegal immigrants, and workers. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;My decisions have never reflected a judgment about the people before me &ndash; only my best judgment about the law and facts and issues in each particular case,&rdquo; he said. &#8220;A judge who likes every outcome he reaches is probably a pretty bad judge.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Gorsuch, a native Coloradan, highlighted his western heritage as a reason for seeking consensus in our divided country. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;In my mind, I consider Judge Gorsuch as a candidate to fill the Garland seat on the Supreme Court,&rdquo; said fellow Coloradan Michael Bennet (D). ;</p>
<p>First Liberty Institute CEO Kelly Shackelford says Gorsuch will be &ldquo;solid&rdquo; on anything that violates the exact wording of the Constitution. &ldquo;What you&rsquo;re going to find with him though is he&rsquo;s all about what does it say,&rdquo; he told radio host Glenn Beck. ;</p>
<p>Shackelford also described Gorsuch as a staunch opponent of the &ldquo;Chevron deference&rdquo; doctrine &ndash; a principle which allows for the case-by-case interpretation of statutes according to a person&rsquo;s policy aims.</p>
<p>Gorsuch enjoys considerable support from the pro-life movement, whose advocates site his decisions siding with the Little Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby against Obama&rsquo;s contraception mandate. ;</p>
<p>Over 50 national and state pro-life organizations sent a letter to the Senate this week urging lawmakers to approve Gorsuch. &ldquo;Judge Gorsuch is widely recognized as a jurist possessed of deep intelligence and true fair-mindedness,&rdquo; reads the letter. ;</p>
<p>The Senate also received a letter from Denver Broncos GM and former NFL quarterback John Elway. &ldquo;His credentials, integrity, and sound moral compass are major reasons why he&rsquo;s already received so much bipartisan support for his nomination,&rdquo; wrote Elway.  ;</p>
<p>Gorsuch&rsquo;s hearing began on Monday and will continue into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. According to Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the panel will vote on Gorsuch&rsquo;s nomination on April 3rd.  ;</p>
<p>Gorsuch is expected to clear the committee, but the Democrats &ndash; hungry for revenge after the GOP&#8217;s refusal to consider Obama&rsquo;s SCOTUS nominee &ndash; will no doubt try to filibuster the confirmation vote on the Senate floor. ;</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to see Gorsuch approved, even if he has to use the &#8220;nuclear option&#8221; to do it. ;</p>