Supreme Court Nominations

Sotomayor on Trump’s election: ‘We can’t afford to despair’

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said at a community forum on Tuesday that the nation can’t afford for a president to fail and those who opposed Donald Trump’s election can’t afford to despair. Sotomayor commented in response to a question about whether she felt apprehensive about Donald Trump’s presidential victory, report the…

Nov 16, 2016 8:59 AM CST

Ginsburg still insists ‘eight is not a good number’

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg criticized Donald Trump this summer, but she is nonetheless ready for him to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. On Monday, Ginsburg repeated a phrase she used when President Obama had nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy, report…

Nov 15, 2016 9:11 AM CST

Who will Trump pick from his ‘heartland’ SCOTUS justice list? FantasySCOTUS launches contest with 22

Who will Donald Trump pick as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia? He already has a list of 21 potential nominees, all of them conservative. But they represent a break from recent tradition, the New York Times reports in a Sidebar column…

Nov 15, 2016 7:45 AM CST

Trump says gay marriage is settled law, but he still wants ‘pro-life’ justices

Donald Trump told 60 Minutes on Sunday that he will quickly nominate a Supreme Court justice, and his court nominees will be “pro-life” and “very pro-Second Amendment.” But he told Lesley Stahl in the interview that the issue of marriage equality is “irrelevant because it was already settled. It’s law.…

Nov 14, 2016 10:05 AM CST

52 Obama judicial nominees are awaiting confirmation; do any stand a chance?

Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland isn’t the only judicial hopeful whose confirmation hopes may be dashed by Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. There are 52 pending federal court nominees, and the conventional wisdom says most are unlikely to win confirmation, Law.com reports. Twenty-three of the 52 nominees had…

Nov 10, 2016 2:09 PM CST

Kozinski makes Libertarian Gary Johnson’s expanded list of potential SCOTUS nominees

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has released an expanded list of his potential Supreme Court nominees that includes two federal appeals judges. Judge Alex Kozinski of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit…

Nov 2, 2016 10:46 AM CDT

Cruz hints GOP won’t vote on Scalia replacement if Clinton wins; the idea gains some support

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz hinted on Wednesday that Republicans will continue to block U.S. Supreme Court nominees if Hillary Clinton wins the White House. The Texas Republican’s hint was a remark about precedent for a smaller Supreme Court, report the Associated Press and the Washington Post. And the idea is…

Oct 27, 2016 10:01 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Is court delaying some oral arguments in hopes of 9th justice?

As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to begin its second month of oral arguments, which start Monday, Oct. 31, the effect of the court having only eight justices is clearly evident.

Oct 27, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

Who would Clinton nominate to Supreme Court? Typical criteria indicate this judge could be the one

Who is likely to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court if Hillary Clinton wins the election? Empirical SCOTUS takes a look at typical backgrounds of U.S. Supreme Court justices and uses the criteria to create its own list. One person satisfied all the factors considered: Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan…

Oct 27, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Clinton calls for action on Garland without mentioning his name; Trump hits Ginsburg criticism

The presidential debate on Wednesday began with a two-part question about the U.S. Supreme Court. “Where do you want to see the court take the country?” moderator Chris Wallace asked. (The Washington Post published a debate transcript.) “And secondly, what’s your view on how the Constitution should be interpreted? Do…

Oct 20, 2016 10:59 AM CDT

Supreme Court is topic at next presidential debate; what questions should be asked?

The U.S. Supreme Court is among the topics that will be on the agenda at the third and final debate Wednesday between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Bloomberg News has some suggested questions, while Law.com (sub. req.) asked Supreme Court practitioners for their recommendations. Here are some of the suggestions:…

Oct 18, 2016 2:27 PM CDT

McCain: A GOP Senate majority would be united against any Clinton Supreme Court nominee

Updated: Republicans need to maintain a Senate majority so they can block Supreme Court nominees of Hillary Clinton, should she become the next president, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on Monday. McCain told WPHT Philadelphia radio that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania needs to be re-elected “so we…

Oct 17, 2016 2:03 PM CDT

Debate recap: Clinton describes future SCOTUS picks; Trump vows to reopen email probe

Supreme Court nominations and special prosecutors were among the topics discussed in the debate on Sunday between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Asked about their potential Supreme Court nominees, Trump pointed to his released lists of potential nominees and said they had been “very beautifully reviewed by just about everybody,”…

Oct 11, 2016 10:15 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: What to look for in the new Supreme Court term

For the first time in almost 30 years, the Supreme Court will begin its new term on Oct. 3 with only eight justices, and the empty seat on the bench may be what most defines it. Usually the court grants review in about half the cases for a term before…

Sep 29, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

Trump releases new list of possible SCOTUS picks

Donald Trump has released a new list of possible Supreme Court picks that appears to address criticism that his prior list lacked diversity. Law.com (sub. req.) points to more diverse picks: U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar of the Eastern District of Kentucky is an Indian-American; U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno…

Sep 23, 2016 11:12 AM CDT