Republican governor, a former federal judge, is possible SCOTUS nominee
Nevada’s Republican governor, a former federal judge, is being considered for a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is among several candidates being considered, report the Washington Post, Reuters, the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). The Post describes Sandoval as a centrist who has the support of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Sandoval was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush and served from 2005 to 2009. He became Nevada’s first Hispanic governor in 2011.
Sandoval “is anything but a party-liner,” the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. Though he personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, he has said he considers gay marriage a settled issue. Nor does he personally support abortion, but he believes it is a woman’s choice.
On gun rights, Sandoval has supported enhanced reporting requirements for mentally ill persons but he vetoed a bill that would require universal background checks for gun purchases. He said he vetoed the bill because it would erode Second Amendment rights.
Sandoval supported a $1 billion Nevada tax increase, the largest in the state’s history, to help fund public schools. Last year he signed a bill requiring the state to pay $5,100 a year to students who go to private schools or are educated at home.
According to the Post, “Sandoval is not seen as labor-friendly” and he initially asserted that President Obama’s health-care law was unconstitutional. He was the first Republican governor, however, to expand Medicaid under the health law, according to AP.
