In boarding school, Mr. Gorsuch participated in the informal debates, where he was routinely teased, accused of being “a conservative fascist.”

"The fight will continue to go state by state. There's a strategy by proponents to get more states on board before they bring a case to the court."

Mr. Gorsuch, who attended the Jesuit-run Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, appeals to conservatives because of his views on religious liberty and life issues.

State lawmakers passed a measure to ban abortions in the state after 20 weeks after approving legislation that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

Slowly, the death penalty is gaining ground again.

How the Supreme Court fared without its most vocal justice