Justice Gorsuch Recuses Himself from Environmental Case

This week, Justice Gorsuch stunned conservatives when he announced that he would be recusing himself from an upcoming case.

Gorsuch will not be on the bench while a major environmental case is being presented.

While Gorsuch did not cite his reason for recusal, he is believed to be stepping aside due to his ties to billionaire Philip Anschutz, who owns the oil and gas company Anschutz Exploration.

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The case itself does not directly involve Anschutz. However, an amicus brief was filed in the case involving a company that the billionaire owns.

The case is centered around a railroad project in Utah and an environmental regulation relative to the project.

Since Anschutz’s company could directly benefit from the eventual ruling, and since he has ties to Gorsuch, Democrats have been pressuring Gorsuch to rescues himself from the case.

The Supreme Court clerk sent a letter to all concerned on December 4, stating that he would not be sitting in on the case.

The letter from the clerk was brief, stating, “I am writing to inform you that, consistent with the Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Gorsuch has determined that he will not continue to participate in the case.”

Gorsuch’s relationship with Anschutz was brought up during his confirmation hearing, so we knew Democrats would press this issue when cases that could benefit Anschutz came before the court.

Justice Gorsuch previously represented Anschutz when he was a practicing attorney, as well as having formed an LLC with two associates of Anschutz. Once Gorsuch accepted his appointment the court, the property secured by the LLC was sold.

Caroline Ciccone, the president of Accountable.US, still went after Gorsuch, stating, “Justice Gorsuch only recused himself after this glaring conflict was brought to light.

“This recusal is another reminder of how the justices’ cozy relationships with billionaires and special interests continue to plague the Supreme Court and keep public trust in the court at an all-time low.”

Gabe Roth of Fix the Court applauded Gorsuch for stepping aside, stating, “Part of the recusal statute and the code of conduct says that a justice should recuse if their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

“Given all of Gorsuch’s ties to Philip Anschutz and his companies, a reasonable person might impute bias. I think it is absolutely the right call.”