Neil Gorsuch Calls President Trump's Attacks On Judges 'Demoralizing'

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, called the president's recent attacks on the judicial branch "demoralizing" and "disheartening," according to multiple reports.

It's a bold move from someone recently chosen by Trump for the nation's highest judicial role, especially when few would have faulted him for staying silent on the issue. Gorsuch's comments came during private meetings with lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Such conversations typically take place prior to confirmation hearings.

Trump's anger at the judges stemmed from several recent rulings that stayed implementation of his recent executive order barring immigration by residents of seven Muslim-majority countries. The order was immediately controversial, galvanizing activists and protesters. Many opponents took their cases to the courts.

The order is currently stalled, awaiting a ruling from an appeals court. It's expected to go before the Supreme Court eventually.

“I don’t want to call a court biased, so I won’t call it biased,” said Trump at a meeting Wednesday. “Courts seem to be so political and it would be so great for our justice system if they could read a statement and do what’s right.”

Trump also said even "bad high school students" would rule in his favor.

But much of his criticism has come in the form of tweets:

The phrase "so-called judge" was singled out as particularly worrying.

Critics of the president argued that this stance toward the judicial branch demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for the separation of powers and does not bode well for the rest of his presidency. Some said it could make judicial rulings against Trump more likely.

Defenders of the president argue that other presidents have criticized court rulings before, and that the only difference here is one of tone, not substance.

Photo credit: United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit