During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday, President Trump announced that he was close to deciding which individual he would nominate for the Supreme Court next week.
Last year, Republicans in Congress took the bold but risky move of refusing to confirm Barack Obama’s nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gambled that a Republican would defeat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election and thus would have the opportunity to nominate a conservative to replace Scalia on the court.
McConnell’s bet paid off and next week President Trump is set to formally announce his nominee, and has allegedly narrowed his pick down to three conservative candidates. While Republicans and judicial scholars have weighed in on which candidate President Trump should formally nominate, one person close to the president has just revealed their favorite.
Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, who is Trump’s sister, currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and spoken very highly of fellow judge Thomas Hardiman.
Maryanne Trump Barry pushing fellow Third Circuit judge Thomas Hardiman for Supreme Court via @ShaneGoldmacher – https://t.co/f3ZzRRyzfA
— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) January 26, 2017
From Politico:
“Maryanne is high on Hardiman,” said one adviser who has spoken directly with the president about the matter.
That he would rely on input from his family for a key decision is hardly surprising. He’s installed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior adviser with a West Wing office. He’s taken cues on childcare policies from his daughter Ivanka Trump, who’s married to Kushner. And Trump gave all his adult children speaking slots at the Republican National Convention, and has entrusted his two oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, with his most prized possession during the presidency: his company.
Recent reports have suggested that Hardiman and 10th Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch are the leading contenders for the nomination, with Gorsuch seen as the frontrunner with one week to go. Politico notes that a source close to Trump’s sister stressed that, regarding Hardiman being considered for the Supreme Court, “I don’t think it is fair to say the only reason he’s got juice on the list is because of her.”
In May of last year, then-candidate Trump released a list of 11 potential nominees to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, which was met with praise from conservatives across the country:
Should President Trump take his sister’s advice and nominate Judge Thomas Hardiman to the Supreme Court or should he go with the more conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch? Share your thoughts below!