TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Making good on a campaign promise, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Antonin Scalia last year.
University of Toledo Law and Values Professor, Lee Strang says his work was cited in an opinion by Judge Gorsuch.
It was part of the controversial Hobby Lobby case about businesses and religious freedom.
"A group of human beings, like a congregation or a corporation could also have free exercise of religion," said Strang.
Strang says Gorsuch is what is called an "originalist" when it comes to interpreting the constitution, similarly to Justice Antonin Scalia, which would return the court to its previous makeup.
Professor Stang says while Judge Gorsuch may not change the makeup of the court too much, the next vacancy certainly could and that may happen in the next four years.
"If justice Ginsburg or Justice Breyer were to retire, there would be an even greater impact on the outcome of the court. So think of all the opinions, where the Supreme Court has come out in the past few years as 5 to 4 decisions and thinking of abortion, or gun rights, or the size of the federal government and on and on and on. Those are 5 to 4 decisions that with the next court appointment, would likely shift the court," said Stang.
It's something law students say they're aware of for their future.
"President Trump, being a Republican and I know Ginsburg is getting up there as well, so she might be retiring soon and he's going to be replacing it with his pick, which obviously will be more conservative so I think that's definitely going to swing the case law a little bit," says UT law student, Rachel Hammersmith.
Strang adds, he feels Judge Gorsuch shouldn't have too much trouble getting Senate Confirmation.
