7 Things To Know About Neil Gorsuch, Donald Trump's Supreme Court Pick

President Trump on Tuesday night nominated Neil M. Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado, to the U.S. Supreme Court, one of the most consequential decisions he'll make during his presidency.

If confirmed, Gorsuch would fill the spot on the nation's highest court that has been open for nearly a year after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Senate Republicans refused to even hold hearings on President Obama's nomination, Merrick Garland.

Here is what you need to know about Gorsuch, who may help shape the nation's laws for a generation.

SEE MORE: Donald Trump Announces Supreme Court Pick Neil Gorsuch

Where did he come from?

Gorsuch grew up in Denver but moved to Washington, D.C., as a teenager when his mother was appointed to head the Environmental Protection Agency by President Ronald Reagan. Gorsuch attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was classmates with President Barack Obama, and he earned a doctorate at Oxford University.

He clerked for Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy and has worked in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Reliably Republican

Gorsuch is seen as largely having mainstream Republican views, assuaging concerns some had that Trump could make an unconventional pick for the seat. His pick was universally praised by Senate Republicans and other party stalwarts but criticized by many Democrats, who wanted a more centrist nominee.

Religious liberty

He is a strong defender of religious liberty, siding with Hobby Lobby in its objection to the Affordable Care Act's mandate that employers provide contraceptives to employees.

Gorsuch also ruled in favor of a town that displayed a donated model of the Ten Commandments in a public park, saying it did not have an obligation to display other religious relics there, too.

Life and abortion

Gorsuch wrote an entire book about euthanasia and assisted suicide, arguing against the legalization of both practices. Some pro-lifers think those views mean he will fight against abortion from the bench.

Balance of power

Should Gorsuch be confirmed, the court would return to its previous balance of power, with four liberal and four conservative judges, leaving Justice Anthony Kennedy as the ideological swing vote.

The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said the Gorsuch pick could also ease concerns Kennedy had about retiring and being replaced by a more ideologically extreme judge.

Where do Democrats stand?

"Make no mistake, Senate Democrats will not simply allow but require an exhaustive, robust, and comprehensive debate on Judge Gorsuch's fitness to be a Supreme Court Justice," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement after the pick.

Many Senate Democrats, such as Schumer, promised an exhaustive confirmation process for Gorsuch. Some, such as Elizabeth Warren, have already vowed to vote no.

“President Trump had the chance to select a consensus nominee to the Supreme Court," Warren said. "To the surprise of absolutely nobody, he failed that test."

A long fight?

While Republicans have a simple majority in the Senate, they do not have the 60 votes needed to overturn a filibuster. If Democrats wanted to go into full-on resist mode, as Republicans did for the better part of a year, they have the means to do so.

Republicans, though, could change the filibuster laws for Supreme Court nominations, allowing Gorsuch to be confirmed with just the 52 Republicans in the Senate.

Image via 10th Circuit Court of Appeals