Gorsuch becomes the 113th Justice to serve on the Supreme Court since its establishment in 1789 - and the first former clerk to serve alongside his former boss, Justice Kennedy.
First up is a private ceremony in the high court's Justices' Conference Room, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath prescribed by the Constitution. All the current justices were in attendance, along with most of their spouses.
During 11 years on the federal appeals court in Denver, Justice Gorsuch mirrored Scalia's originalist approach to the law, interpreting the Constitution according to the meaning understood by those who drafted it.
"I have no doubt you will rise to the occasion and that the decisions you will make will not only protect our Constitution today, but for many generations of Americans to come", Trump said.
Attorneys and representatives at environmental advocacy groups, including the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, Greenpeace and WildEarth Guardians, said Gorsuch's presence on the court has not altered their legal work or prompted their organizations to shift course in how they conduct public outreach or launch campaigns. When questioned extensively about his views on the critical Heller case, Gorsuch never wavered. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Gorsuch declined to answer about whether Roe v. Wade and other important court precedents were properly decided. After a Democratic filibuster last week, Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, triggered the so-called nuclear option, breaking the filibuster and changing the Senate's rules to allow any Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed by a simple majority.
It is the conclusion of a almost 14-month process to fill Scalia's seat, with Republicans winning a bitter battle to ensure his replacement was a like-minded disciple who will restore a conservative majority on the court for years to come.
Senate set to confirm Neil Gorsuch as next Supreme Court justice
A handful of Democrats had said they'd join Republicans in voting "yes" on Gorsuch - West Virginia Sen. Justices take two oaths, one required by the Constitution and the other set by federal law.
Kennedy's presence was symbolic personally for Gorsuch, who served as a clerk for Kennedy and considers him a mentor. Law firm partner. Justice Department official.
Gorsuch has been a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, based in Denver.
And as much as Trump and many Republicans seem to see Gorsuch's confirmation to the Court as a victory, the event is embroiled in controversy.
Little more than two hours later, Gorsuch took the judicial oath administered by Kennedy in the Rose Garden. Those could include cases ranging from a fair housing dispute in Miami to a cross-border shooting on the Mexican border in Arizona. The state of Missouri denied a grant to the licensed preschool and day care at Trinity Lutheran on the claim that the grant would violate separation of church and state, even though the funds would benefit the entire community and not just church members. The oral argument has been delayed for months, signifying a likely deadlock among the eight justices.
And it is possible the court may reveal that it is deadlocked on several cases it already has heard this term.
Kennedy, 80, often a swing vote on the court, presided, a reminder that Gorsuch's ascendance may not be this president's final chance to influence the direction of the high court.
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