Newsletter: Essential Politics: The reality show revealing of a Supreme Court pick

It felt for a moment on Tuesday night as though President Trump was going to ask for the envelope before revealing a decision whose consequences could last longer than any other he’ll make in the White House.

Never has there been this much dramatic flair in a president’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Good morning from the state capital. I’m Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and Trump’s pick of federal Judge Neil M. Gorsuch provided a dose of relative predictability after a 48-hour period in which everything in American politics seemed in turmoil.

A LASTING DECISION, AND POSSIBLY A BRUISING BATTLE AHEAD

My colleague David Savage nicely sums up Judge Gorsuch for a country that has yet to meet him as “a Westerner with a polite, congenial manner who at times has won praise from liberals. He may be more conservative than [Justice Anthony] Kennedy when it comes to expanding individual rights, but he seems to lack [the late Justice Antonin] Scalia’s fervor for overturning liberal precedents from decades past.”

At 49 years old, the Coloradoan could give the new president a very long legacy. As for Democrats in the U.S. Senate, the question now becomes what kind of fight will they put up as the confirmation hearings begin.

AND THEN THERE’S THAT MONDAY UNPLEASANTNESS…

The rollout of the Gorsuch selection was the first patch of smooth sailing for the Trump administration in days — and let’s not forget, there have hardly been many days in this administration.

Tuesday saw another round of criticism of Trump’s immigration executive action and sharp rebukes for his decision on Monday night to fire the nation’s acting attorney general for refusing to come to the defense of his policy.

Members of Congress groused on Tuesday over being left in the dark about the details of the immigration action. And Trump spokesman Sean Spicer found himself in a battle of words with reporters over whose idea it was to call the immigration order a “ban.”

There are also signs the president’s actions aren’t temporary. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Tuesday some parts of the ban could be extended much longer than might have otherwise have been expected. In essence, it signaled that the White House remains committed to remaking border law enforcement even in the face of widespread confusion and condemnation.

‘RADICALIZED’ DEMOCRATS, SAYS CONGRESSMAN

The early actions by the president could spark a major change in Democratic politics, said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).

“The more radical the administration is, the more radicalized our base becomes, which just feeds the Breitbart crowd, and who knows where that ends,” Schiff said in a conversation with The Times’ Washington bureau.

Meantime, Senate Democrats balked Tuesday at committee votes on two of the president’s Cabinet nominees, Treasury secretary selection Steve Mnunchin and Health and Human Services secretary choice Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.).

“Until questions are answered, Democrats believe the committee should not move forward with either nomination,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

CALIFORNIA’S DELEGATION AND THE REFUGEE BAN

Democrats from California’s 54-member congressional delegation joined constituents at airports, asking officials to release detained visa holders last weekend.

Many of the state’s 14 Republican representatives, on the other hand, were initially silent on the executive order. Several have since voiced their support, while others were critical of the order’s rollout.

Sarah Wire has a look at what each member of the California congressional delegation has said, or not said, about the controversial executive order Trump signed Friday banning refugees and visa holders from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

IN SACRAMENTO, IMMIGRATION EFFORTS CLEAR A FIRST HURDLE

For Democrats in California’s statehouse, it’s full steam ahead in an effort to offer a new line of defense against the president’s immigration agenda.

On Tuesday, a package of bills in the state Senate cleared their first policy committees — bills to subsidize legal representation at some deportation hearings, restricting the sharing of law enforcement data with the federal government and a proposal banning any help for the feds in compiling religious affiliation data.

“All of us want hardened criminals prosecuted under the law,” said state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). “All of us. But what we are watching now is a pitting of people against each other, a targeting of immigrants.”

NO WAY, SAYS THE CITY BY THE BAY

San Francisco launched itself into the front lines of the national debate on Tuesday, filing a lawsuit claiming a states’ rights violation when it comes to Trump’s approach on sanctuary cities.

“The president’s executive order is not only unconstitutional, it’s un-American,” San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera said. “That is why we must stand up and oppose it.”

Other legal challenges came more into focus on Tuesday, with the state of New York joining a similar lawsuit filed by the ACLU.

SOME IN ARIZONA LIKE WHAT THEY SEE IN WASHINGTON

And for a different view on the new president, there’s the story filed by my colleague Nigel Duara from Goodyear, Ariz.

The state was home to an intense battle in the presidential race, where its traditional libertarian conservatism clashed with a fast growing Latino population.

Duara has this great take on the viewpoint of some voters in Arizona: “Perhaps Trump hasn’t yet gone far enough, voters here say, but give it time. He has uncomplicated solutions to what they see as uncomplicated problems.”

POT PROBLEMS FOR 2018?

You may have voted for Proposition 64 last fall, but now comes the hard part: Making the legalization of marijuana work as expected.

State lawmakers voiced doubts Monday about the ability of California agencies to finish crafting regulations and a licensing system for the sale of recreational marijuana by the end of this year, as promised to voters.

The possibility of delay was raised at a hearing at the state Capitol by three state Senate committees looking into whether the agencies are on track to complete their work.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Cathleen Decker writes that Trump’s go-it-alone strategy has put at risk the core quality that must be projected by any president: competence.

— Campaign finance reports are trickling in for California politicians running for governor next year, including new data on money raised by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and by state Treasurer John Chiang.

— The DCCC has announced its list of top Republican targets for the 2018 election, and seven Californians are on it.

— In other congressional campaign news, a former challenger to now Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has said she’ll run to replace him in the 34th Congressional District. Adrienne Nicole Edwards is a housing counselor and community organizer who ran against Becerra in 2014 and 2016.

— Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday that she will vote “no” on the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for U.S. attorney general. The announcement comes after hundreds of protesters showed up at her home and Los Angeles office urging her to vote against Sessions.

— Assembly Democrats introduced five bills Tuesday aimed at reforming the state toxics control department, which has faced criticism for flat-footed response to contamination from the former Exide battery recycling plant.

— Want to grade Trump’s first 100 days in office? Now’s your chance. See what others, including Times columnist Doyle McManus, have to say.

LOGISTICS

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john.myers@latimes.com

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