A government watchdog has called on Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch to recuse himself from a case with major consequences for health and environmental regulations.
The case, Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo, is aimed at removing a 1984 precedent known as the Chevron deference which established that federal agencies have authority to issue regulatory rules without congressional approval, and Gorsuch has extensive, publicly known ties to a billionaire oil baron who would benefit from the ruling, reported The Guardian.
“Not only would overturning Chevron deference strip power from federal agencies, harming their ability to serve everyday Americans – but now, we know billionaire oil baron Philip Anschutz would score big from a favorable ruling by his friend on the high court,” said Caroline Ciccone, president of Accountable.US.
“It’s far past time for these justices to stop putting their billionaire pals over Americans," Ciccone added. "Recusal from cases where they have glaring conflicts of interest is the very least they can do to restore some semblance of credibility and integrity to our supreme court.”
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Anschutz – who has interests in energy, railroads, telecommunications, real estate and entertainment – has regularly hosted Gorsuch at his Colorado mountain resort the Eagle's Nest for weekends of dove hunting and speeches on legal philosophy, and the mogul recommended him to the George W. Bush administration for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals after Gorsuch worked at a law firm that represented him.
Gorsuch previously fell under scrutiny, like his colleague Clarence Thomas, for the sale of a Colorado property he co-owned shortly before his Supreme Court confirmation without disclosing that the buyer was a lawyer from a firm that had business before the court.
Gorsuch’s co-owners in that venture was Anschutz legal counsel Kevin Conwick and Anschutz executive Cannon Harvey.
“This is just the latest in a long pattern of cozy relationships between Supreme Court justices and billionaires creating conflicts that undermine the legitimacy of the court," Ciccone said.
