Posted on 12/16/2016 7:39:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind
It will be some time before Donald Trump announces a nominee to fill the vacancy left by Antonin Scalia, according to transition insiders.
But two names continue to emerge to the top of the president elect's list of potential Supreme Court justices. Judges Diane Sykes and William Pryor are among the top contenders, according to multiple sources familiar with the process.
CNN's Donald Trump Supreme Court nominee shortlist The Supreme Court vacancy is "actively being discussed," but there is no timetable at the moment, Trump transition aide Jason Miller told reporters Thursday.
"The President-elect, he had previously put out a list of 20 very qualified individuals from which he would select. I know that they have continued to narrow that list down," Miller said. "He himself has said that's probably a shorter list of 5 or 6 folks that are near the top of that, that's being narrowed down to. And again, but this is another one where it's an absolute utmost priority, so we need to make sure we get this one right."
Trump first mentioned Sykes and Pryor after a February debate -- and the two conservatives are among the only ones Trump has mentioned by name.
However, aides acknowledge that given the size of the list and Trump's previous approach to filling vacancies, things are subject to change.
Sykes, 58, sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Marquette University School of Law grad voted to uphold Wisconsin's voter ID law and also sided with businesses in challenging the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate.
While some conservatives view Sykes favorably, others expressed concern given her age.
Pryor, a staunch conservative, called Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision making abortion legal, the "worst abomination in the history of constitutional law."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Ted Cruz should never be in a position to render a decision that a child born to a Palestinian father and an American mother in Saudi Arabia is a natural born citizen of the US and eligible to be President.
Such a decision would permanently gut the protection the natural born citizen clause gave us until both parties decided to ignore it in 2008.
Ted Cruz should NEVER be on the Supreme Court.
He either does not know what natural born citizen means, or worse, decided that his ambitions were more important than the Constitution.
I’m not saying “no women”, but Sandy O’Connor was an unmitigated disaster.
Reagan had painted himself into a corner with his campaign promise to appoint a woman. It should always be “best available”.
I think the Gipper did have the right instincts picking someone from the State courts as opposed to Federal.
Cruz not on the list of 20. Unless things have changed dramatically, his first nomination will come from the list of 20.
My guess is Sykes will fill the current vacancy.
As to whether there will be another vacancy before the elections of 2018 get into full swing, there is a possibility. For example, Clarence Thomas might retire figuring that he would be replaced by a solid conservative.
The liberals on the court missed out. If they were thinking ahead, they would have retired before the elections of 2010.
“I thought Ted Cruz was in the running for that.”
Thankfully, that worthless turd isn’t even on Trump’s list. Considering Scruze would have been far worse than making Romney SoS!
Here is a link for a pretty good argument for David Straus.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/12/a-word-for-david-stras-2.php
Oh please.
He couldn’t get anybody to flack him......the agit-prop about Cruz for the Court was Cruz tooting his own horn.
Cruz is a showboater from way back......we don’t need that on the court.
I went to ULM. Never heard of the guy. I’m sure he’s never heard of me neither.
That's all I need to know.
And it only got worse from there.
Bill Pryor used to be the Attorney General of Alabama, and he is a great family-oriented, evangelical Christian man, and excellent jurist. I know him personally.
GREAT choice!!!
“My guess is Sykes will fill the current vacancy.”
I would go with Pryor now and hold off on Sykes as Ginsburg’s eventual replacement. Ginsburg will be turning 84 soon and has a history of health issues.
The interesting thing about the practice of law in Wisconsin is, if you graduate in law from a Wisconsin university - such as Marquette, you do not have to take the Bar to practice in state.
I screwed that up! Bill Pryor is Catholic. That’s how I know him! I did some laity ministries back in the early 2000 in the Montgomery deaconry and he was in my group.
I guess the Evangelicals on Free Republic are getting to me, confusing them and Catholics!!!
That’s what they said about women’s suffrage - no one listened ...
Naming Sykes is all about using the PC factor of a vagina to minimize confirmation problems.
Just like O’Connor, that is completely the WRONG reason.
“One of Reagan’s worst mistakes was naming a woman to SCOTUS”
Was Reagan’s male appointee, Anthony Kennedy, better?
“Do Sykes and Pryor have Ivy League backgrounds? I would prefer a non Ivy Leaguer to fill this vacancy.”
I believe zero people on Trump’s list have Ivy League backgrounds. Cruz would be an Ivy Leaguer though.
We should gamble on the age thing. Count on 16 years of the WH in Gop hands. One can get the appointment and then quit before 2032. That war Sandra O’Conner could come and go.
No mention of 45 year old from Utah, Lee.
No, I did not say Reagan’s mistake was naming “a woman”.
His mistake was promising IN ADVANCE that his first nominee would be a woman, and then choosing that PARTICULAR woman.
It should always be “best available” regardless of gender, race, etc.
Usually I have to be on a Catholic Caucus thread for someone to twist my words so completely.
As you recall Kennedy was Reagan’s #3 choice after Teddy the Swimmer and Biden successfully Borked the first two. Not that he worked out either.
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