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Libertarian legal giant Randy Barnett says Trump's Supreme Court nominee is a serious, smart guy. But will he restrain government?
Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory and Director Georgetown Center for the Constitution, sat down with Reason TV to weigh in on Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme court.
Barnett said he was cautiously optimistic about Gorsuch. "Of all the people on Trump's list, he was certainly near the top," Barnett said.
He said Gorsuch seems to be well read, smart, and a staunch defender of originalism like Justice Scalia.
"There's the old 'framers intent,' which people say if they don't know what they're talking about," Barnett said. "Gorusch says 'original public meaning,' which means he knows what he's talking about."
Barnett said he believes the addition of Gorsuch to the Supreme court could have a significant impact on whether or not a reinterpretation of abortion rights is in the future.
"Roe v. Wade is not settled," Barnett said. "Could a decision happen? I think it could... in the sense that it's been contested since it was decided. As a result I can seem them undoing it and sending it back to the states."
Edited by Mark McDaniel. Cameras by Josh Swain and McDaniel. Music by Simon Mathewson.
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