By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will not participate in an environmental case to be argued next week involving a proposed railroad in Utah, the court said on Wednesday , a move following calls from some Democratic lawmakers for him to recuse himself. on a possible conflict of interest.
The paragraph announcement made public by a court official was contained in a letter to lawyers in the case which is due to be argued next Tuesday. The other eight judges will hear and decide the case.
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Gorsuch decided to withdraw from the case, consistent with the code of conduct adopted by the court last year, the statement said, without providing further explanation.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson and 12 other Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Gorsuch on Nov. 21 asking him to step down because businessman Philip Anschutz, a former legal client of Justice, has “a direct financial interest in the ‘outcome’ of the case. Lawmakers said the Anschutz Exploration Corporation and other companies linked to the businessman could be affected by the case.
Johnson, who has called for stricter ethical requirements at the Supreme Court, applauded Gorsuch on Wednesday for his recusal decision, calling it “a right and honorable thing.”
“It is important that the court shows the public that it is not in the pocket of billionaire benefactors,” Mr Johnson added. “That said, I believe we need a system that does not rely solely on individual judges to make the right decision in each case.”
The court announced its first code of conduct for judges last year amid revelations linked to undisclosed luxury travel and other financial ties to wealthy benefactors, although it has no mechanism for review. ‘application.
The case Gorsuch withdrew from involves a bid by a group of Utah counties to build a rail line to connect the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah to an existing freight rail network that would primarily be used to transport waxy crude oil.
The case tests the scope of environmental impact studies that federal agencies must conduct under a 1970 federal law called the National Environmental Policy Act, which aims to prevent environmental damage that can result from large projects.
(Reporting by John Kruzel; editing by Will Dunham)
