Gorsuch sworn into Supreme Court, restores conservative tilt

Judge Neil Gorsuch is sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, US, April 10, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON — Justice Neil Gorsuch took his place in history Monday as the newest addition on the bench of the US Supreme Court, restoring a narrow conservative majority and marking a much-needed political victory for President Donald Trump.

Gorsuch was sworn in during a sun-soaked ceremony in the Rose Garden, nearly 14 months after the seat was left vacant with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The oath was administered during the White House ceremony by Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom Gorsuch once served as a law clerk. A smiling Trump stood behind his nominee.

It was the second of two oaths — the first was conducted privately in the Justices' Conference Room by Chief Justice John Roberts.

"To the Scalia family, I won't ever forget that the seat I inherit today is that of a very, very great man," Gorsuch said to the audience of family and administration staffers, as well as all the sitting Supreme Court justices.

"I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great nation," he said.

Gorsuch joins the court that is often the final arbiter for presidential policy.

Speaking ahead of Gorsuch at the ceremony, Trump said that "our country is counting on you to be wise, impartial and fair, to serve under our laws, not over them, and to safeguard the right of the people to govern their own affairs," hinting at his own friction with the judiciary.

Gorsuch's confirmation was a badly needed boost for an administration riddled with controversy and misstep. Trump failed to get enough Republicans on board to support his plan to repeal and replace President Barack Obama's signature health care bill. His efforts to build a physical border wall with Mexico remain uncertain and his attempts to ban certain travelers from entering the US because they pose a security threat have been blocked by the courts.

Trump was lighthearted about his latest win, saying that Gorsuch's successful nomination came during his first 100 days in office and added: "You think that's easy?"Trump said Americans would see in Gorsuch "a man who is deeply faithful to the Constitution of the United States" and predicted greatness for the 49-year-old former appeals court judge from Colorado.