Welcome Remarks for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, "A Republic, If You Can Keep It"
McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Washington, DC
September 16, 2019
Good evening, and welcome to the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives. I’m David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and I’m pleased you could join us for tonight’s program, whether you are here in the theater or joining us through Facebook or YouTube.
Before we hear from Justice Gorsuch about his new book, A Republic, If You Can Keep It, I’d like to let you know about two other programs coming up soon in this theater.
Tomorrow at noon, Richard Fallon, Jr., will be here to tell us about his book The Nature of Constitutional Rights: The Invention and Logic of Strict Judicial Scrutiny.
And on Wednesday, September 18, at 7 p.m., we’ll have the opportunity to see an advance performance of 19: The Musical.
Join us for, the dynamic story of Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, Inez Milholland and the suffragists who fought to get women the right to vote - the 19th Amendment. The inspirational story of these fearless women is brought to life through jazz, traditional musical standards style, spoken word, hints of gospel and dance. Following the performance will be a discussion with the cast.
Check our website, Archives.gov, or sign up at the table outside the theater to get email updates. You’ll also find information about other National Archives programs and activities.
Another way to get more involved with the National Archives is to become a member of the National Archives Foundation. The Foundation supports the work of the agency, especially its education and outreach programs. Visit its website—archivesfoundation.org—to learn more about the Foundation and join online.
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Tomorrow is Constitution Day, September 17, 1787, the date that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document establishing a new government for the United States of America.
At the National Archives, we have celebrated Constitution Day since 1956—four years after installing the original parchment document in its place of honor in the Rotunda.
Over the decades, we have celebrated the Constitution in many ways. Tomorrow we host one of my favorite events—a naturalization ceremony for new citizens of the United States. It’s always a moving experience to witness people from all parts of the world stand in front of the parchments signed by our founders 232 years ago and swear to support and defend the Constitution.
We also invite notable guest speakers to help us reflect on and understand the Constitution and its central place in our nation’s history and in the present day.
Today we are especially honored to have with us this evening a sitting justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch has recently brought together his reflections on the Constitution and its separation of powers into one volume: A Republic, If You Can Keep It. We are pleased to welcome him here, to the home of the original United States Constitution.
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Neil Gorsuch was born in Denver, Colorado; received a B.A. from Columbia University; a J.D. from Harvard Law School; and a D.Phil. from Oxford University. He served as a law clerk to Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and as a law clerk to Justice Byron White and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. From 1995 to 2005, he was in private practice, and from 2005 to 2006 he was Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2006. He served on the Standing Committee on Rules for Practice and Procedure of the U.S. Judicial Conference, and as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Rules of Appellate Procedure. He taught at the University of Colorado Law School. President Donald J. Trump nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on April 10, 2017.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Honorable Neil McGill Gorsuch, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.