In documents submitted to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, two former law students of Judge Neil Gorsuch recount his expression of alarming views on women in the workplace during a class on ethics and professionalism at the University of Colorado Law School in April 2016. On April 20, 2016, Jennifer Sisk, a student in the class, summarized the views expressed by Judge Gorsuch in a Facebook post. She also expressed her concerns regarding the substance of what Judge Gorsuch had said during class to her Dean of Students.
After Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to serve on the United States Supreme Court, Barry Roseman (Denver, CO), a member of NELA’s Judicial Nominations Committee, was notified by a colleague who also had attended the University of Colorado Law School that former classmates, one of whom was Jennifer Sisk, had posted messages on Facebook recounting their experiences with Judge Gorsuch in an ethics class that he taught. Mr. Roseman’s colleague also directed him to another student who had recounted a similar experience.
After speaking with the second former law student, Mr. Roseman drafted an affidavit on that individual’s behalf recounting his/her experience in Judge Gorsuch’s class, an account that was consistent with Ms. Sisk’s. On March 17, 2017, Jennifer Sisk submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee describing Judge Gorsuch’s comments and the context in which they were made. Mr. Roseman also submitted a letter to the Committee, to which the affidavit from the other student was attached. Fearing potential negative repercussions for speaking out against someone as prominent as Judge Gorsuch, the other former student requested that his/her name and any identifying information be redacted from the affidavit.
Review the documents.
On March 14, NELA sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein expressing our strong opposition to the confirmation of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch (10
th Circuit Court of Appeals) to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Read our letter.
Judge Gorsuch’s hearing is scheduled to begin Monday, March 20.