Trump-appointed Justice Gorsuch rebukes Vance: 'We have a First Amendment for crying out loud'

President Donald Trump-appointed jurist dismantled the vice president's claim that Christianity forms the ideological foundation of American governance
Judge Neil Gorsuch slammed Vice President JD Vance, saying 'everybody has freedom of religion' after Vance said that Christianity is America’s creed. (Getty Images)
Judge Neil Gorsuch slammed Vice President JD Vance, saying 'everybody has freedom of religion' after Vance said that Christianity is America’s creed. (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump-appointed Judge Neil Gorsuch has slammed Vice President JD Vance over his remark on Christianity, saying “everybody has freedom of religion” after Vance said that Christianity is America’s creed.

Vance recently claimed that he is not saying that one should be Christian to be American, but “Christianity is America’s creed.”

Justice Gorsuch pushes back on Vance’s Christianity remark

JD Vance's remark came during his recent publicity tour to promote his new book about his conversion to Catholicism.

Vice President JD Vance speaks Friday, March 13, 2026, in Rocky Mount, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Vice President JD Vance speaks Friday, March 13, 2026, in Rocky Mount, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Vance recently claimed, "I’m not saying you have to be a Christian to be an American. I’m saying something simpler and truer: Christianity is America’s creed, the shared moral language from the Revolution to the Civil War and beyond."

In a recent PBS interview, the President Donald Trump-appointed jurist dismantled the vice president's claim that Christianity forms the ideological foundation of American governance.

Gorsuch hit out at Vance over growing Christian nationalism

"And so America was not found -- I mean we have a First Amendment for crying out loud. No established religion, everybody has a freedom of religion, everybody has the freedom of speech, we are all equal under law," he told PBS host Margaret.

"Now you can not believe in those ideas. Fair enough. But then we have a problem."

Neil Gorsuch Is Sworn In As Associate Justice To Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch delivers remarks after taking the judicial oath during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Earlier in the day Gorsuch, 49, was sworn in as the 113th Associate Justice in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch delivers remarks after taking the judicial oath during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

According to The Hill, Gorsuch observed, "...that Charles Carroll, who was also Catholic, signed the Declaration of Independence alongside members of other Christian faiths. He also explained that Amish and Quakers settled in the then-British colonies."

"We were founded, a lot of our colonies, for our religious pluralism, right? And the opportunity to practice your own faith in your own way," Gorsuch patiently explained.

"Those things are perfect ideas that speak to every human heart and that unite us all," Gorsuch elaborated for emphasis.

JD Vance's journey of Christianity

JD Vance’s path to Catholicism evolved from an unchurched childhood and adolescent Pentecostalism to angry college atheism, and finally to his formal baptism in August 2019. He detailed this spiritual evolution in his memoir Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.

Second lady Usha Vance and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance with their children arrive during an indoor inauguration parade at the Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Second lady Usha Vance and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance with their children arrive during an indoor inauguration parade at the Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

JD Vance openly shares an interfaith marriage with his Hindu wife, Usha Vance, noting that she supported his return to faith and they raise their children as Christians. While Usha remains a Hindu, Vance hopes she might one day embrace Christianity.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Darline Graham, who championed the legislation, expressed pride in the law but stopped short of directly criticizing Donald Trump's decision
2026-10-18T06:30:42.000Z
JD Vance added that he would need to give the matter more thought, particularly after the 2026 midterm elections
2026-10-18T05:42:51.000Z
Joey Amor confronted JD Vance over military failures before an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait killed his wife, Nicole Amor, and five others
2026-10-18T05:03:42.000Z
Speaking at a rally on October 17, Donald Trump said the Department of War would invest the money in the California-based pharmaceutical company Antheia
2026-10-18T04:29:11.000Z
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents searched Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar’s Washington, DC, home on Monday, October 12
2026-10-18T03:53:57.000Z
Trump cited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America' as an example of his increased power during his second term
2026-10-18T03:19:47.000Z
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia and Ukraine last month to begin talks aimed at ending the years-long conflict
2026-10-17T20:47:47.000Z
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that reviving the economy would take time as the Trump administration worked to turn things around
2026-10-17T19:58:00.000Z
Judge Ana C Reyes reprimanded Trump's lawyers for removing park trees without notifying the court as previously ordered
2026-10-17T18:58:06.000Z
Trump reportedly reconsidered his candidates for key seats as Republicans fought to protect their slim majorities in the Senate and House
2026-10-17T17:31:48.000Z