In Opening Statement, Gorsuch Praises Fellow Coloradan Byron White
Gorsuch noted his admiration for fellow Coloradan Byron White while namechecking former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, who reportedly sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee supporting Gorsuch's nomination.
“Justice White, my mentor. A product of the West, he modeled for me judicial courage,” Gorsuch said Monday in his remarks to senators. “He followed the law wherever it took him without fear or favor to anyone. War hero. Rhodes scholar. And, yes, highest paid NFL football player of his day. In Colorado today there is God and John Elway and Peyton Manning. In my childhood it was God and Byron White.”
White is the only other Supreme Court justice who hailed from the Centennial State. If confirmed, Gorusch would be only the sixth justice born in the Western part of the United States, according to the Pew Research Center.