Justice Neil Gorsuch Pledges To Be 'Servant' Of Constitution

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the swearing-in of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court (all times local):

11:22 a.m.

Justice Neil Gorsuch is thanking his former law clerks, family and friends as he is sworn into the Supreme Court during a White House ceremony.

Gorsuch says of his former law clerks, "your names are etched in my heart forever."

The new justice joined President Donald Trump, members of the nation's high court and his family for a Rose Garden ceremony.

Gorsuch is thanking his family for their "perseverance and patience" and his mentor, Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he served as a law clerk.

Gorsuch is promising to be a "faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great nation."
__

11:16 a.m.

President Donald Trump is praising new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a public White House ceremony. He says Gorsuch will rule "not on his personal preferences but based on a fair and objective reading of the law."

In a Rose Garden ceremony, Trump says in Gorsuch, Americans see "a man who is deeply faithful to the Constitution of the United States."

The president is predicting Gorsuch will go down as "one of the truly great justices" in the court's history.

The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado was sworn in during the ceremony by Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he once served as a law clerk.

The president noted that the successful nomination came during his first 100 days in office.
__

9:25 a.m.

Surrounded by family and his future colleagues, Neil Gorsuch has taken the first of two oaths as he prepares to take his place as the 113th justice of the Supreme Court.

Neil Gorsuch Confirmed To The Supreme Court

The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado is being sworn in Monday after a bruising fight that saw Republicans change the rules for approving Supreme Court picks - over the fierce objection of Democrats.

The first ceremony took place privately in the Justices' Conference Room, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath required by the Constitution.

That will be followed by a public White House ceremony, where Justice Anthony Kennedy is to administer the oath set by federal law.
___

3:25 a.m.

Judge Neil Gorsuch is about to take his place as the newest Supreme Court justice.

The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado is to be sworn in after a bruising fight that saw Republicans change rules for approving Supreme Court picks over the fierce objection of Democrats.

First up is a private ceremony at the court, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the constitutional oath. That's followed by a public ceremony at the White House, where Justice Anthony Kennedy will swear him in.

Gorsuch will be seated just in time to hear one of the biggest cases of the term — a religious rights dispute over a Missouri law that bars churches from receiving public funds for general aid programs.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)