The retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Reagan appointed Justice that’s split the vote a number of times in favor of his liberal colleagues on the bench, has opened up the possibility for a more reliably conservative Justice to take his place.
Kennedy is officially out on July 31st, and the Trump Administration is moving quickly in picking a replacement. The White House had previously released a list of 25 potential Justices to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court, and the early favorites are young appeals court judges popular in Washington’s conservative legal circles. Age is a critical factor, as younger judges will obviously stay on the court for longer (and thus keep a conservative majority for many decades to come). (RELATED: Here Are The Early Favorites For Kennedy’s Replacement).
While there are 25 potential candidates, according to the Washington Free Beacon, Trump has narrowed his list down to two. “Two conservative federal judges, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, are the leading contenders to replace retiring justice Anthony Kennedy. Barrett, 46, was a law professor at her alma mater Notre Dame before her appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Her last confirmation hearing proved controversial, as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) attacked Barett’s Catholic faith, insinuating that, ‘the dogma lives loudly within [her].'”
Liberals are particularly afraid of Barrett when it comes to the abortion issue (due to her Catholic faith). In the past, Barrett has questioned the legal reasoning behind Roe v. Wade but said in 2013 that “I think it is very unlikely at this point that the court is going to overturn Roe or Roe as curbed by Casey (a court case relating to abortion). The fundamental element, that the woman has a right to choose abortion, will probably stand.”
Still, if there were to be a case where the SCOTUS were to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would be especially ironic that it was a female justice largely responsible, given how liberals portray pro-lifers as being “anti-women.” Though it must be noted, as amusing as the liberal hysteria is about a potential Roe v. Wade reversal, it is extremely rare however that the SCOTUS does override prior rulings. But with a court leaning conservative 6-3, who knows? (RELATED: Trump Doubles Down On Roe V Wade — Abortion May Soon ‘End Up With States’).
Trump has set July 9th as his deadline for choosing a Justice. It will be interesting to see if liberal Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins break with their party to block President Trump’s nominee. Senator Collins has already pledged to oppose any nominee that does not pledge to uphold Roe v. Wade, signaling that a fight could be brewing in the Senate.
