White House Counsel Don McGahn laid out a conservative vision for judicial appointments during an address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday.
“Judicial selection and deregulation are the flip side of the same coin,” McGahn said, emphasizing how legislative policy and judicial appointments are intrinsically interlinked.
McGahn went on to praise the staunchly constitutionalist Trump appointee to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, who has thus far demonstrated an unflinching commitment to conservative values.
“What really resonated with the president was [that] he was someone with impeccable credentials, wonderful character, great man, frankly stuck his neck out on an issue that anyone else may have feared would hurt their chance at a promotion,” McGahn stated. “He is sort of a vanguard on this.”
Gorsuch has long opposed the Chevron doctrine of judicial deference to the bureaucracy, and as such is expected to push Court decisions in a direction more favorable to deregulation.
“One needs to say, ‘Enough is enough’,” McGahn added, referring to the out-of-control nature of the federal bureaucracy.
McGahn is one of a group of libertarians in the administration, along with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, who have played leading roles in pushing for limited government and fiscal responsibility over the last few months, and are now using CPAC as an opportunity to present their achievements.
