Gorsuch urged to recuse himself from supreme court case over ties to oil baron

Philip Anschutz has hosted rightwing justice at resort and stands to benefit if court strips power from federal regulatory agencies

Two days before oral arguments in a US supreme court case set to have a major impact on federal health and environmental regulation, a leading government watchdog called on Neil Gorsuch to recuse himself over close links to a billionaire oil baron who has hosted the rightwing justice at a mountain resort called Eagles Nest for weekends of dove shooting and who stands to benefit from the ruling at hand.

Not only would overturning Chevron deference strip power from federal agencies, harming their ability to serve everyday Americans - but now, we know billionaire oil baron Philip Anschutz would score big from a favourable ruling by his friend on the high court," said Caroline Ciccone, president of Accountable.US.