SUPREME COURT NOMINATION GORSUCH FACES OPPOSITION|川普提名保守派大法官 民主黨擬杯葛

First in today's international news, amid uproar and backlash in the wake of a highly controversial immigration ban, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to succeed the late Antonin Scalia in the nation's supreme court, but Gorsuch's confirmation now faces possible obstruction by senate Democrats. On the same day, however, Taiwanese American Elaine Chao's nomination as Transportation Secretary was confirmed, making her the only official of Asian descent in Trump's Cabinet. On Jan. 31 President Trump announced to media at the White House that Neil Gorsuch, an American judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, as nominee for Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by conservative judge Antonin Scalia, who passed away last February. ==NEIL GORSUCH Supreme Court nominee== I pledge that if I am confirmed, I will go all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitutional laws of this great country. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and eight associate justices and they have lifetime tenure. The makeup of the court, four conservative and four liberal justices respectively, has caused many laws to end in deadlock. Gorsuch's nomination, if approved, will turn the four conservatives into five and this may well repeal Obama's policies. Gorsuch attended Columbia and Harvard Law School and later earned his doctorate from Oxford University. The 49-year-old nominee is the youngest for the Supreme Court over the past 25 years in America. With many ideas similar to late Scalia's, Gorsuch is regarded as the one who can succeed Scalia in conservatism. Conservatives support the nomination while liberal activists rally at Supreme Court to protest, criticizing Gorsuch for anti-abortion and ignoring laborers' rights. They call on the Senate to boycott the nomination. ==MARY KAY HENRY Service Employees International Union== And together with the rest of the leaders here, we call on the United States Senate to reject this nomination. Senate Democrats said they do not rule out the possibility of asking Gorsuch to attend the Judiciary Committee. They may lodge a protest by means of filibuster to boycott the nomination.The Senate Tuesday approved Elaine Chao's nomination to be the Secretary of Transportation. Vice President Mike Pence swore in Chao as the 18th secretary and she is the only minister of Asian descent in Trump's Cabinet. Chao, who came from Taiwan, served as the Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush for 8 years. However, the confirmation of health nominee Tom Price and treasury pick Steven Mnuchin was postponed due to Democrats' boycott on the immigration ban. The hearing on attorney general Jeff Sessions was also behind schedule. TRANSLATED BY：BRYANT CHANG 美國總統川普，美國時間周二晚間八點的黃金時段，高調召集媒體記者到白宮，宣布提名美國丹佛第十巡迴法庭的保守派法官葛蘇奇，出任最高法院大法官，來填補在去年2月辭世的保守派大法官史卡利亞的遺缺。 ==美國大法官提名人 葛蘇奇== 我誓言如果我的任任命獲得通過 我將盡我所有被允許的權力 去扮演好憲法 跟這個偉大國家的忠誠公僕 美國最高法院由一名首席大法官和八名大法官組成，大法官是終身職。目前美國最高法院大法官保守派與自由派各占四人，導致許多法案陷入僵持，葛蘇奇的提名若通過，最高法院的保守派大法官將達到五人，歐巴馬的政策也將面臨被推翻的危機。保守派的葛蘇奇，擁有哥倫比亞，哈佛以及英國牛津大學博士學位的輝煌學歷，49歲的年紀，也是美國25年來最年輕的大法官提名人。由於葛蘇奇的多項主張與已故的史卡利亞相似，也被認為能繼承史卡利亞的保守派作風。這項任命案，保守派民眾力挺，但自由派人士卻聚集在最高法院外抗議，痛批葛蘇奇反墮胎，也不重視勞工權益，呼籲參議院杯葛這項提名案。 ==服務業雇員國際工會主席 瑪莉== 我們聚集在這裡 跟其他領域的領袖 共同呼籲美國參議院 否決這項提名 民主黨參議員透露，不排除要求葛蘇奇出席司法委員會的聽證會，也可能透過冗長議事杯葛的手段，來抵制這項提名案進行投票以示抗議。 另一方面，美國參議院星期二通過趙小蘭的聯邦運輸部長任命案，趙小蘭隨後在副總統彭斯的帶領下宣誓就職，成為美國第18任運輸部長，也是川普內閣目前唯一的亞裔部長。這是來自臺灣的趙小蘭第二度出任美國內閣首長，她曾在小布希時代擔任過8年勞工部長。趙小蘭的任命案順利過關，但川普提名的衞生部長普萊斯和財長穆欽，則因為民主黨杯葛川普的移民禁令而延後，司法部長人選塞森斯的任命聽證進度也落後。 記者 靳元慶 報導