Trump to announce his Supreme Court nominee on July 9; two women are being considered
President Donald Trump. Michael Candelori / Shutterstock.com
President Donald Trump said Friday that he has narrowed his list to a handful of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees and will announce his choice to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on July 9.
Trump talked about his plans in comments to reporters as he boarded Air Force One, CBS News, Bloomberg News, the Washington Post and USA Today report. Two women are on his narrowed list, Trump said.
Trump said he would probably interview six to seven candidates, while also saying he had narrowed his list to “about five” candidates. The only name Trump mentioned was U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. “He said he’d like the job,” Trump said. “Usually, they don’t say that.”
Trump said he planned to interview one or two candidates this weekend at his private golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Past reports have identified five front-runners. Only one is a woman: Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Barrett is a former Notre Dame law professor who had clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia.
The other four reported candidates include two former Kennedy clerks: Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Raymond Kethledge of the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals. The others are Judge Amul Thapar of the 6th Circuit and Judge Thomas Hardiman of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Trump told Fox News he probably won’t ask the potential nominees whether they would overturn Roe v. Wade. But he said he does want to put conservative people on the Supreme Court and he is proud of his first nominee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. The full interview will air on Sunday.
