Justice Gorsuch Says Colleagues Are The ‘Best Writers’ To Ever Exist

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Justice Gorsuch Calls Colleagues 'Best Writers' In History

Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court had wrapped up the oral argument portion of its term a month ago, Justice Neil Gorsuch was commiserating with his daughter, who was nearing the close of her college semester.

“Her life and mine looked pretty similar at the time,” the justice said. “All the classes have been attended and you’ve heard all the arguments and you’ve read all the materials you’re supposed to read, and now you have to produce the work. It’s term paper time.”

Justice Gorsuch shared the anecdote with an audience of lawyers, academics, and legal luminaries at the 25th annual Burton Awards on May 20 in Washington, D.C., in a keynote conversation with event host Chris Wallace. The justice, who published a book in 2019 and was slated to speak at the event in 2020 before it was canceled due to COVID, expanded on a wide range of topics including his writing style and originalist approach to case law.

The Burton Awards, funded by the Burton Foundation with Law360 as a lead sponsor, honor distinguished writers and leaders in law. Justice Gorsuch reflected on his own process for writing opinions, a skill Wallace noted made him one of the “livelier, interesting” writers on the court but which the justice deflected as “middle of the pack” in relation to his colleagues.