President Trump has unveiled a list of potential Supreme Court nominees, if an opening on the high court happens while he is in office.
If the president is reelected in November, he may get an opportunity to replace two liberal justices. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, has been experiencing a multitude of health issues, including undergoing radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer in 2019. She may have to retire in the near future. Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, may also need to retire soon.
These potential Supreme Court appointments will give conservatives a 6-3 or 7-2 majority.
The next oldest justice is Clarence Thomas, 72, a conservative who is the longest-serving member of the court, at 28 years.
Potential Nominees
In an address from the White House, the president warned against a “growing radical left movement”, saying that if a majority of “radical justices” were appointed to the Supreme Court by progressives, they will “erase the Second Amendment, silence political speech, and require taxpayers to fund extreme late-term abortion.”
President Trump then unveiled the addition of 20 names to his list of potential Supreme Court nominees, which included some familiar names: Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
The president also listed two former solicitors general, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and several judges.
Senator Hawley quickly pulled his name from the running in a tweet, stating: “Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court.”
I appreciate the President’s confidence in listing me as a potential Supreme Court nominee. But as I told the President, Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court. I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) September 9, 2020
In response to Trump adding his name to the list, Senator Cotton tweeted, “It’s time for Roe v. Wade to go.”
Senator Cruz also tweeted a response to the president, stating: “Am humbled & deeply honored to be on President Trump’s SCOTUS list, released today. I spent this Summer writing a book on the Supreme Court, telling the inside story of how our constitutional liberties hang in the balance, One Vote Away.”
There may be another wild card that President Trump has not mentioned, as the American people have gotten used to surprises from their president. CBS News noted that “Neither of Mr. Trump’s two Supreme Court appointees, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, were on the initial list of 11 possible nominees put forward by the Trump campaign in September 2016.”
President Trump also challenged Democrat nominee Joe Biden to release his own list of prospective Supreme Court nominees.
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