Trump Adds 5 Names to List of Potential Supreme Court Picks

Trump Adds 5 Names to List of Potential Supreme Court Picks
The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington on Nov. 15, 2016. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Jasper Fakkert
11/18/2017
Updated:
11/19/2017

The White House announced on Nov. 18 that President Donald Trump added five more names to his list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

While there is currently no vacancy in the Supreme Court, three of the nine justices are 79 or older.

Trump first released the list of potential nominees during the 2016 presidential campaign. After being elected, he appointed judge Neil Gorsuch to the court.

Speaking at a Federalist Society conference of conservative legal advocates, White House Counsel Donald McGahn said Trump is “very committed” to appointing judges who are “committed originalists and textualists,” referring to a legal philosophy that relies on the ordinary meaning of the language of laws and the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy (R) administers the judicial oath to Judge Neil Gorsuch in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy (R) administers the judicial oath to Judge Neil Gorsuch in the Rose Garden at the White House April 10, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The five jurists, all with strong conservative credentials, were added to the list with input from conservative leaders. Should another seat on the court open up, Trump will nominate a candidate from the updated list of 25, the White House said.

Leonard Leo, an advisor to the president on Supreme Court nominations, said Trump thought it was time to refresh the original list. “When you’re committed to picking from a list you want to make sure it’s as complete as possible,” Leo said.

Catherine Glenn Foster, president of the anti-abortion advocacy group Americans United for Life, said she was pleased with the new selections. “From their known records they tend to be strong on recognizing the protections for life,” she told Reuters.

Here is the complete list of Trump’s potential Supreme Court picks:

Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Keith Blackwell of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia Charles Canady of Florida, Supreme Court of Florida Steven Colloton of Iowa, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Allison Eid of Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Britt Grant of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia Raymond Gruender of Missouri, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Brett Kavanaugh of Maryland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Joan Larsen of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Mike Lee of Utah, United States Senator Thomas Lee of Utah, Supreme Court of Utah Edward Mansfield of Iowa, Supreme Court of Iowa Federico Moreno of Florida, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Kevin Newsom of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit William Pryor of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Margaret Ryan of Virginia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces David Stras of Minnesota, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Diane Sykes of Wisconsin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Amul Thapar of Kentucky, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Timothy Tymkovich of Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Robert Young of Michigan, Supreme Court of Michigan (Ret.) Don Willett of Texas, Supreme Court of Texas Patrick Wyrick of Oklahoma, Supreme Court of Oklahoma
Reuters contributed to this report
Jasper Fakkert is the Editor-in-chief of the U.S. editions of The Epoch Times. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication Science and a Master's degree in Journalism. Twitter: @JasperFakkert
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