A Day in the Life of Justice Gorsuch

A recent talk before an Eighth Circuit conference gave us all some insight into the day-to-day life of the youngest member of the High Court.

In a panel discussion with Eighth Circuit Chief Judge Lavenski Smith, Gorsuch described his usual daily routine. He also expressed some views on how the media focuses too much on the close cases rather than the unanimous decisions.

Justice Gorsuch also explained that despite all the disagreements, the Justices share a rather "collegial atmosphere," he stated: "just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to be disagreeable."

Brief Daily Routine

If you imagined Justice Gorsuch as a machine that reads cases morning to night, only taking breaks to take care of the necessities to stay alive, you may be sad to learn that there is no such Gorsuch.

His daily routine looks more like this:

Wake up and do some work at home while having coffee, then bike into the Court. When he gets in, it's right to reading and writing briefs alone in his chambers until he eats his brown bag lunch with his staff. After lunch, like all of us that put on clothes one appendage at a time, he does more work. And while this may not sound so exciting or glamorous, his home life is where things get really exciting.

After he finishes for the day, he bikes home, does some grilling, and then plays Bananagrams with his daughters. Justice Gorsuch commented that he values his role highly and that it isn't something he takes for granted. He sees himself as belonging to a judicial tradition and legacy where it is less about creating a personal legacy than upholding the principles of the law.

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