On Feb. 1, 2017, President Trump announced his choice for our nation’s next Supreme Court justice. In keeping with his campaign promise to nominate a justice in the mold of former Justice Antonin Scalia, he selected Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee for our nation’s highest court. Given Judge Gorsuch’s record, I am confident he will make an excellent justice.

The judiciary plays a critical role in our constitutional republic. It is tasked with interpreting the laws of the United States and ensuring the actions of the other two branches do not infringe upon our Constitutional rights and contravene other Constitutional provisions. As such, the Supreme Court, the highest court in the judicial branch, weighs in on the most important court cases in our nation, and its far-reaching decisions set precedent for future cases.

It is therefore important we have a strong court committed to the proper interpretation of the Constitution. While members of the other two branches have the freedom to act in a partisan manner, it is imperative that justices put aside their own political and personal beliefs and commit to interpreting the text of the law through the lens of the Constitution, not their own political prism. This judicial philosophy, known as textualism, upholds the interpretation of the law as written, not as desired, and it undergirds the ability of the judiciary to check and balance the political branches of government when necessary.

Judge Gorsuch’s legal career tells the story of a committed textualist. While reflecting on the role of judges, he stated they are “to apply the law as it is, focusing backward, not forward, and looking to text, structure and history to decide what a reasonable reader at the time of the events in question would have understood the law to be – not to decide cases based on their own moral convictions or the policy consequences they believe might serve society best.”

Prior to his nomination to the Supreme Court, Judge Gorsuch served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He was confirmed unanimously to this position by the United States Senate in 2006 without a single dissenting voice. In this position, he presided over several influential cases, establishing himself as a brilliant legal mind with a sterling judicial record and an accessible writing style.

It is no wonder then that his nomination has drawn support from both liberal and conservative circles. While some liberal pundits and politicians will reflexively oppose Judge Gorsuch’s nomination because of his association with President Trump – despite the fact that in 2006 the Senate unanimously confirmed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit by voice vote – others have expressed their strong support. For example, Neal Katyal, an acting solicitor general under President Obama, wrote in The New York Times that Judge Gorsuch will bring “a sense of fairness and decency to the job, and a temperament that suits the nation’s highest court.” Furthermore, he stated that he had “no doubt that if confirmed, Judge Gorsuch would help restore confidence in the rule of law. His years on the bench reveal a commitment to judicial independence – a record that should give the American people confidence.”

I believe Judge Gorsuch’s impeccable legal credentials and his thoughtful body of work as a judge make him the perfect choice for the American people’s next Supreme Court justice. Based upon his judicial record and philosophy, as well as the unanimous backing of his previous nomination, I sincerely hope the Senate will act quickly to send Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.