Neil Gorsuch

WASHINGTON — With a divisive confirmation process behind him, Judge Neil Gorsuch was about to take his place as the newest Supreme Court justice.

The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado was to be sworn in today after a fight that saw Republicans change the rules for approving Supreme Court picks — over the fierce objection of Democrats.

First up was a private ceremony in the high court’s Justices’ Conference Room, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath prescribed by the Constitution. That was to be followed by a public ceremony at the White House, where Justice Anthony Kennedy was to administer the oath.

Gorsuch, who once clerked for Kennedy, will be the first member of the court to serve alongside his former boss.

He replaces the late Justice Antonin Scalia, part of the court’s conservative wing for nearly three decades before he died unexpectedly in 2016. In nominating Gorsuch, President Donald Trump said he fulfilled a campaign pledge to pick someone in the mold of Scalia.