US President nominates youngest Supreme Court Justice in 25 years

US President Donald Trump has nominated conservative appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch, 49, to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a post that has been vacant for nearly a year.

Speaking at the White House on January 31, President Trump expressed his hope that the Democratic and Republican parties would find common ground on his nomination for the better future of America. He highly appreciated Judge Gorsuch's ability and understanding of the law. Mr. Gorsuch has been a judge of the court in Denver, Colorado since 2006.

With President Trump's nomination, if approved by the Senate (receiving the support of at least 60/100 senators), Mr. Gorsuch will be the youngest Supreme Court Chief Justice in more than 25 years and he can influence the direction of the court for decades to come because Supreme Court members have lifetime terms.

The nomination would restore a conservative majority to the Supreme Court and help shape rulings on crucial issues in the United States such as abortion, gun control, the death penalty and religious rights, analysts say.

In a related development on the same day, Democratic senators refused to attend a vote on two controversial personnel nominations of new US President Donald Trump, thereby delaying the approval process of new cabinet positions.

According to a VNA correspondent in Washington, Democratic senators on the Senate Finance Committee boycotted the vote on Republican Representative Tom Price, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The same situation also occurred in the vote on the case of Mr. Steven Mnuchin, who was nominated to be Secretary of the Treasury.

Republicans have expressed anger at the actions of Democratic lawmakers.

According to News/VNA