Feud: Elena and Neil Why rumors of a GorsuchKagan clash at the Supreme Court are such a bombshell.
Following his nomination to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch was packaged by his wealthy benefactors as the judicial equivalent of a carrot cake: mild and wholesome with the occasional hint of spice. Now that the justice has been safely installed on the court for life, he has revealed himself to be more akin to melted sorbet: sickly sweet and insubstantial with a tangy finish that induces slight nausea. Gorsuchs abrupt pivot to arrogance has been on full display in his bumptious opinions and questions from the bench. But it also appears to be infecting his interactions with justices behind the scenes. Whispers emerging from the court indicate Gorsuch is more likely to alienate than influence even his conservative colleagues.
The latest sign of trouble comes from NPRs Nina Totenberg, who dropped in on the indispensable Supreme Court podcast First Mondays to dish some gossip about the newest justice. Totenberg, a renowned court reporter who is friendly with several justices, noted that Gorsuch ticks off some members of the courtand I dont think its just the liberals. Without exposing her sourcesyou talk to former law clerks, you talk to friends, you talk to some of the justicesTotenberg then dropped a bombshell:
My surmise, from what Im hearing, is that Justice [Elena] Kagan really has taken [Gorsuch] on in conference. And that its a pretty tough battle and its going to get tougher. And she is about as tough as they come, and I am not sure hes as toughor dare I say it, maybe not as smart. I always thought he was very smart, but he has a tin ear somehow, and he doesnt seem to bring anything new to the conversation.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/10/why_rumors_of_a_gorsuch_kagan_supreme_court_clash_are_such_a_bombshell.html