The Big Idea

There are two fundamental philosophies when it comes to interpreting law as a judge, and one of them is absolutely better for anyone who makes their own investment decisions.  How does Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's nominee for the US Supreme Court, stack up?

Points To Ponder

• President Trump just nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve as the next US Supreme Court
• It matters greatly because judges who ascribe to a particular judicial philosophy are very bad for investors and businesses
• The two philosophies are Originalist and Acitivist
  • Originalism says:  The plain words of the law are the guide and absolute limits of my ruling in any case.  It’s the job of CONGRESS to create or change laws, not the job of judges to do so
  • Activism says:  The law is a guide I’ll consider.  But if necessary, I’ll subordinate the law to other factors, including my own political beliefs, the legal system in other jurisdictions, social preferences, etc so that I can arrive at a decision that I believe to be suitable.
• This all boils down to whether a particular judge makes decisions that create reliable precedent so that we can make decision about investing our money
• Origianlists tend to make more consistent decisions based on the law itself - regardless of whether the law is "conservative" or "liberal"
• Neil Gorsuch is definitely an originalist and is an excellent pick for the US Supreme Court

Resources

• Episode #246 of Self Directed Investor Talk (this show)
• Free Webinar that shows how many SDI Talk listeners are receiving very large credit lines at 0% interest for their real estate deals or businesses.  Check it out here.

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