supreme court nominee. >> right now we'll take you to the white house where president trump, you can see the room is all filled up. he's about to walk in to address the nation and announce his supreme court nominee. the first of his administration. good evening, day 12 of the trump presidency off to a fast and furious start and we are coming on the air right now because the president about to hold an event in the white house where he will introduce his first pick for the supreme court. it is a crucial ninth seat on the evenly divided seat, vacant since the death of antonin scalia. president obama nominated judge merrick garland but senator republicans refused to consider the nomination arguing it should fall to the next president.

democrats still raw over that move, some vow to filibuster whoever trump nominates setting up another fierce battle in this already tumultuous term. in a reality show twist, president trump has kept suspense high right up to the last minute. our chief white house correspondent john karl in the east room. john, we've never seen anything like this. it's happened not one but two finalists are heading to washington. >> reporter: george, the president wanted to build up anticipation but it doesn't need any buildup. for all he has done, this will likely be the most consequential decision he has made as president. the two finalists coming into today's date are judge neil gorsuch from the tenth circuit court of appeals and judge thomas hardiman of the third circuit court of appeals. i have been told judge gorsuch has been the front-runner in this. he's been compared to justice scalia and we will now see. here is the president.

>> invited guests plus the press in the room tonight. he is coming out, leaving the suspense a little longer, coming out alone. >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. when justice scalia passed away suddenly last february, i made a promise to the american people. if i were elected president, i would find the very best judge in the country for the supreme court. i promised to select someone who respects our laws and is representative of our constitution and who loves our constitution and someone who

will interpret them as written. this may be the most transparent judicial selection process in history. months ago as a candidate, i publicly presented a list of brilliant and accomplished people to the american electorate and pledged to make my choice from among that list. millions of voters said this was the single most important issue to them when they voted for me for president. i am a man of my word. i will do as i say, something that the american people have been asking for from washington for a very, very long time. today -- [ applause ] thank you. today i am keeping another

promise to the american people by nominating judge neil gorsuch of the united states supreme court to be of the united states supreme court and i would like to ask judge gorsuch and his wonderful wife, louise, to please step forward. please, louise, judge. here they come. here they come. [ applause ] so was that a surprise? was it?

[ applause ] i have always felt that after the defense of our nation, the most important decision a president of the united states can make is the appointment of a supreme court justice. depending on their age, a justice can be active for 50 years and his or her decisions can last a century or more and can often be permanent. i took the task of this nomination very seriously. i have selected an individual whose qualities define really and i mean closely define what we're looking for. judge gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support. when he was nominated to the tenth circuit court of appeals, he was confirmed by the senate unanimously. also -- that's unanimous, can you believe that nowadays with

what's going on? does that happen anymore? does it happen? i think it's going to happen maybe again. also with us tonight is maureen scalia, a woman loved by her husband and deeply respected by all. i am so happy she is with us. where is maureen. please stand up. thank you, maureen. [ applause ] thank you, maureen. she is really the ultimate representative of the late great justice antonin scalia whose image and genius was in my mind throughout the decision-making process. not only are we looking at the writings of the nominee, and i

studied them closely, but he is said to be among the finest and most brilliant, oftentimes the writings of any judge for a long, long time. and his academic credentials, something very important to me and that education has always been a priority are as good as i have ever seen. he received his undergraduate degree from columbia with honors. he then received his law degree from harvard, also with honors, where he was a truman scholar. after harvard he received his doctorate at oxford where he attended as a marshall scholar. one of the top academic honors anywhere in the world. after law school he clerked on the supreme court for both justices byron white and anthony kennedy. it is an extraordinary resume, as good as it gets. judge gorsuch was born and

raised in colorado and was taught the value of independence, hard work and public service. while in law school, he demonstrated a commitment to helping the less fortunate. he worked in both harvard prison lgal assistance projects and harvard defenders program. brilliance being assured, i studied every aspect of his life. he could have had any job at any law firm for any amount of money, but what he wanted to do with his career was to be a judge, to write decisions and to make an impact by upholding our laws and our constitution. the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. he is the man of our country and a man who our country really needs and needs badly to ensure the rule of law and the rule of justice. i would like to thank senator leadership. i only hope that both democrats and republicans can come

together for once for the good of the country. congratulations to you and your family. my god bless you, may god bless our glorious nation. judge gorsuch, the podium, sir, is yours. [ applause ] >> thank you. mr. president, thank you very much. mr. president, mr. vice president, you and your team have shown me great courtesy in

this process and you've entrusted me with a most solemn assignment. standing here in a house of history and acutely aware of my own imperfections, i pledge that if i am confirmed, i will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitution and laws of this great country. for the last decade, i've worked as a federal judge in a court that spans six western states, serving about 20% of the continental united states and about 18 million people. the men and women i've worked with at every level in our circuit are an inspiration to me. i've watched them fearlessly tending to the rule of law, enforcing the promises of our constitution and living out daily their judicial oaths to administer justice equally to rich and poor alike. following the law as they find it and without respect to their personal political beliefs. i think of them tonight. of course the supreme court's work is vital not just for a

region of the country but to the whole. vital to the protection of the people's liberties under law and to the continuity of our constitution. the greatest charter of human liberty the world has ever known. the towering judges that have served in this particular seat of the supreme court, including antonin scalia and robert jackson are much in my mind at this moment. justice scalia was a lion of the law. agree or disagree with him, all of his colleagues on the bench cherished his wisdom and his humor. like them, i miss him. i began my legal career working for byron white. the last coloradan to serve on the supreme court and the only justice to lead the nfl in rushing. he was one of the smartest and most courageous men i've ever known. when justice white retired, he gave me the chance to work for justice kennedy as well.

justice kennedy was incredibly welcoming and gracious and like justice white, he taught me so much. i am forever grateful. if you've ever met judge david sentel, you'll know just how lucky i was to land a clerkship with him right out of school. thank you. these judges brought me up in the law. truly i would not be here without them. today is as much their day as it is mine. in the balance of my professional life, i've had the privilege of working as a practicing lawyer and teacher. i've enjoyed wonderful colleagues whose support means so much to me at this moment. as it has year in and year out. practicing in the trial work trenches of the law, i saw too that when we judges don our robes, it doesn't make us any smarter but it does serve as a

reminder of what's expected of us, impartiality, independence, collegiality and courage. as this process now moves to the senate, i look forward to speaking with members from both sides of the aisle. to answering their questions and to hearing their concerns. i consider the united states senate the greatest deliberative body in the world and i respect the important role the constitution affords it in the confirmation of our judges. i respect too the fact that in our legal order it is for congress and not the courts to write new laws. it is the role of junction to apply, not alter the right of representatives. stretching for results he prefers rather than those the law demands. i am so thankful tonight for my family, my friends and my faith.

these are the things that keep me grounded at life's peaks and that sustain me in its valleys. to louise, my incredible wife and companion of 20 years, my cherished daughters who are watching on tv and all my family and friends, i cannot thank you enough for your love and your prayers. i could not attemp this without you. mr. president, i am honor ed an i am humbled. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> and there you have it, president trump's first pick for the supreme court judge neil gorsuch from the tenth circuit court of appeals in colorado. the president said he's the very best judge in the country, a man our country really needs. i want to go to terry moran.

terry, he said he had judge scalia in mind and neil gorsuch really does fit the bill. a lot of scholars say he is just like scalia, just a generation younger. >> that is absolutely true, george. promise kept in this case for president trump, no doubt about it. and there is that sense that judge gorsuch, neil gorsuch has almost followed in the footsteps, developed his own pedigree to get to this place. he's going to fit right in. there's one big difference with justice scalia. there's nothing justice antonin scalia liked better than a good fight and you knew you were in a fight with him. i think judge -- justice gorsuch, if he is confirmed, brings a warmer and more collegial perhaps attitude to the debates around the law. there's also that relationship with justice kennedy, the key swing vote on this court. he could be a coalition builder on this court by nature of his

personality and relationships. >> and promise kept for president trump. he said this was the single most important issue to so many of his voters. >> he said this was the singular issue of so many that he talked to on the campaign trail. he said i'm a man of my word, i'll do what i say. judge gorsuch turns 50 this year. a lot of comparisons with justice scalia as you've mentioned, george, but one thing that was written is his opinions have been described as exceptionally clear and routinely entertaining. >> you saw a little wit when he was talking about justice white as well. i want to bring john karl back right now. terry moran mentioned justice kennedy. i want to show what the lineup of the court would look like if judge gorsuch is confirmed. you see justice kennedy in the middle and you wonder if he is sending a signal picking his clerk for the court saying the court is in good hands if you're confirmed, safe for you to

retire. >> there's no question that president trump has thought about replacing not one justice, perhaps not even just two or three. certainly anthony kennedy is one he would love to replace. ruth bader ginsburg, also 83 years old. and the message that the democrats have sent is this will be a tough confirmation battle, but the next one, the next one will be a truly brutal confirmation battle because that is the one that could really tip the balance of the court. george, i'll tell you there were a lot of republican senators in this room today, virtually the entire republican leadership. senator ted cruz here as well. don't see any democrats here. this will be a battle royale in the senate over the confirmation. >> okay, john, thanks very much. so we do have it right there, judge neil gorsuch picked by president trump to be his first pick for the supreme court. the confirmation battle ahead. we'll go back now to your regular programs. for many in the west, that is world news with david muir. i'll see you tomorrow on gma. have a good night.

welcome back to abc 7 news at 5:00, dan ashley and kristen sze. to recap, the president made his choice for supreme court justice. >> it is neil gorsuch. he attended harvard law school actually with former president barack obama. >> and clerked for two supreme court justices. gorsuch is originally from colorado but spent years in washington. his mother was head of the epa for ronald reagan before being forced out because of a toxic waste cloeanup scandal. >> he's a conservative very similar to judge antonin scalia whom he would be replacing. in fact he paid tribute to judge scalia when he accepted the nomination. >> as did the president. he is 49 years old, which would make him by far the youngest supreme court justice. as you heard the president say, he could serve for decades.

>> and hearings are expected to begin in a few weeks with republicans holding a majority in the senate, of course. california senator dianne feinstein you see here is the top democrat on the senate judiciary committee and is expected to aggressively cross examine the nominee. well, the other big story today, san francisco has become the first city in the nation to file suit against the trump administration over an executive order barring federal grants to sanctuary cities. abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler has more. >> the president's executive order is not only unconstitutional, it's unamerican. >> reporter: it's san francisco versus donald trump. city attorney dennis he rare h suing to block the order pulling federal funding from sanctuary cities. >> president trump's executive order tries to turn city and state employees into federal immigration officers. >> reporter: the lawsuit accuses the trump administration of

trying to financially coerce the city into abandoning its sanctuary policies. san francisco stands to lozse $1.2 billion a year which is used for health care, schools, transportation and other necessities. the city is also expecting more scrutiny from immigration officials. >> it's no surprise that this president might continue to target us. that is why i've said that we should be ready. >> reporter: just last week, immigration agents showed up at a resource center for latino families in the city. today the mission community held a legal workshop to teach people their rights. >> the only thing that we can truly do now is educate ourselves and stay together as a community and support one other. >> reporter: san francisco sheriff vicki hennessey joined the mayor and police chief in sending a letter to the secretary of homeland security declining to participate in some immigration enforcement that she believes betrays community trust.

>> in order to have community policing, you have to have the confidence of the community. >> reporter: san francisco hoping to send washington a message. the city is fighting back. in san francisco, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. and right now the san francisco board of supervisors is considering the approval of $1.5 million for immigration related legal services. oakland city council will consider establishing a legal fund of $150,000 to support immigrants facing deportation. as the oakland raiders aim to move the team to las vegas, an investor may be pulling an audible. the team's relocation effort seemingly in shambles. that's next. and get ready for rain.

afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me.

the effort by raiders owner mark davis to move his team to las vegas appears to be coming up snake eyes. multiple reports, including one from our sister network espn, say that goldman sachs is no

longer committed to financially supporting the $1.9 billion stadium project. this comes a day after sheldon adelson announced that he's out taking with him his pledge of $$ $650 million. it is also spawning hope for those who don't want the raiders to leave. >> mr. davis, who traditionally said he wanted to stay in oakland, his dad built the team here and his mother is a big oakland supporter, they will recommit to making this work in oakland. >> save oakland sports has launched a petition drive on change.org urging nfl owners to reject the raiders' proposed relocation to las vegas. if you'd like to check it out and sign it, we have a link on our website, abc7news.com. after several sunny days, rain is heading our way once again. >> let's get the latest from sandhya patel. >> yeah, before we get to the rain, i just have to share this with you. is that spectacular or what from our sutro tower camera seeing

the setting sun right now, it is absolutely stunning. live doppler 7 tracking high clouds which is adding extra color to the sunset along with the haze. here's a look at the next storm coming in. it is tightly wound up. as we head into tomorrow, we'll see the changes. today we're feeling the changes, 50s, 60s right now. it is cooler compared to 24 hours ago this time. air quality will be poor. we do have a spare the air alert for the north day. it's poor and moderate for the rest of the area. moderate air quality for most of you. it's a stunning shot from east bay hills camera as well. fog tomorrow morning really limited to the inland east bay. patchy at best. it's going to be milder with cloud cover in the 40s. mostly cloudy wednesday. you're looking at 50s, 60s, and then the storm impact scale comes in with a level 1 system. wednesday evening it's a light system, light showers becoming breezy and you'll see damp roadways. 4:00 p.m. just spotty showers. by 7:00 p.m. light to moderate

showers begin to increase. it becomes a 2 as the winds kick up and the rain intensifies, so it's moderate in strength thursday morning. your commute looks really bad. 40 to 50-mile-per-hour gusts, slight chance of thunder as well. the biggest concerns will be ponding on the roadways, trees down, moderate possibility of creeks actually starting to rise. midnight thursday hour-by-hour forecast showing you scattered showers but heavy rain at times. 3:00 a.m. and the reds indicating possibly some thunders. 5:00 a.m. scattered showers continue. then we'll see the showers tapering thursday before we see some more rain. there is going to be some snow in the sierra nevada. accuweather seven-day forecast, 1 on our storm impact scale tomorrow, 2 for thursday and then 1 friday through sunday. as you'll notice, it's a wet pattern, so six out of seven days we are basically looking at rain chances. download the abc 7 news app to help you keep track of those storms. >> sandhya, thank you. well, it's being called the hottest real estate mar

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coming up tonight at 6:00, there's sanctuary city and now possibly sanctuary state. see how quickly our state lawmakers could change california's status. we're inside the courtroom for day two of the trial of the man accused of killing morgan hill teenager sierra lamar. hear how the defense plans to explain fingerprint and dna evidence. that's coming up in a half an hour at 6:00. an east bay neighborhood that you may never have heard of is apparently the place to be. >> yeah, it won the honor of hottest neighborhood in america. oakland's bushrod neighborhood rests in south berkeley. >> they named it the hottest neighborhood in part because it's close to popular restaurants and both the ashby and rock bridge b.a.r.t. stations. >> the popularity is growing too. recently a two-bedroom home sold for $200,000 over list price. >> yeah, but now that the word is out. >> it's going up. world news tonight is coming up

next. >> for all of us, we appreciate your time. we'll see you again at 6:00. tonight, breaking news as we come on in the west. president trump's prime time pick. his supreme court nominee just revealed. what we know about him. the president and his tv reality roots moving to prime time. our terry moran live from the supreme court. new pushback tonight on the immigration order. the white house press secretary now saying this is not a ban, even though the president and press secretary used that word themselves. and the acting attorney general fired, the white house saying she betrayed the department of justice. the deadly secret raid. the navy s.e.a.l. killed. new questions tonight about the american mission. did al qaeda know the americans were coming? the dangerous commute tonight. more than 200 crashes in the northeast, the storm system affecting millions. and new security revealed