President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil M. Gorsuch Tuesday for a spot on the Supreme Court during a televised announcement from the White House East Room at 8 p.m. in Washington, D.C.

Gorsuch is a traditionalist and a strict interpreter of the Constitution. The president chose him over Thomas M. Hardiman, who serves on the Pittsburgh-based Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Background

The 49-year-old Colorado native has an impressive resume that includes degrees from Columbia, Harvard and Oxford. He has valuable work experience as a partner for the Washington D.C. law firm Kellogg Huber Hansen Todd Evans & Figel. Gorsuch also served as a clerk at the Department of Justice for Justices Anthony Kennedy and the late Byron White. He was a Truman Scholar and fellow classmate of President Obama’s at Harvard and a Marshall Scholar at Oxford.

“Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support,” President Trump said during his brief announcement in the East Room. “It is an extraordinary resume — as good as it gets.”

Gorsuch served on the Denver-based 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals for the past decade. He gained notoriety in the legal world for his ability to read in depth, memorable writing style and willingness to interpret the law rather than making it.

What Happens Next?

If approved by the Senate, Judge Gorsuch will replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia was a conservative judge who President Trump used as the prototype for his replacement pick.

He would join Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Stephen Breyer and Justice Kennedy as the ninth and final member of the court.

The Senate Judiciary Committee can approve Gorsuch with a vote after questioning him in televised hearings. If the committee does so, the confirmation process moves to the full Senate for a vote.

Gorsuch has reached decisions in the past favoring liberals when he thinks the history or text of the Constitution or the law requires it. However, he is expected to face some opposition from Democrats who refuse to support any of the president’s decisions.

The fate of the Supreme Court for generations is riding on the approval of Judge Gorsuch. Despite facing opposition, he will likely be confirmed in the next couple of months due to a Republican-controlled Senate.