Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch Discusses New Children's Book on the Declaration of Independence and American Founding Principles

Justice Neil Gorsuch sat down with Reason's Nick Gillespie at the U.S. Supreme Court to discuss his new children's book co-authored with attorney Janie Nitze, which focuses on the people and events behind the Declaration of Independence. Gorsuch emphasized that the Declaration's three core ideas—equality, inalienable rights, and self-governance—were neither inevitable nor universally accepted at the time, noting that only about 40 percent of colonists supported the patriot cause. He described the United States as a 'creedal nation' built on shared ideas rather than ethnicity or religion, and stressed that defending those ideas still requires courage today. The conversation also touched on originalism as a judicial philosophy, the expanding scope of federal and state regulation, and the distinction between the Declaration as a moral document versus enforceable law. Gorsuch expressed hope that as the country marks its 250th anniversary, Americans will reflect on the fragility and significance of the founding ideals rather than treating them as historically inevitable.