Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring. Kennedy has been on the bench since 1988, after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Kennedy has been the swing vote on the court in many key 5-4 decisions. He has played an important role in many cases, including Citizens United v. FEC, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Obergefell v. Hodges. The Constitution of the United States requires that the President must select a nominee when a seat is open. The nominee is then confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
President Trump will now have an opportunity to put another Supreme Court Justice on the bench. He nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill Antonin Scalia's seat. Gorsuch took the oath of office in April of 2017. The Constitution says that justices will remain on the bench for life or when they decide to retire. The next man or women to take the oath will serve for many years to come. Their impact will shape history and the nation. So, who's in the running? Who is the President considering? Trump will make his announcement on July 9th and everyone wants to know who is on the shortlist.
The Washington Post and the New York Times reported that President Trump met with four candidates on July 2nd, one week before his announcement of a nominee. The President met with four federal appeals court judges. They were Amy Coney Barret of the Seventh Circuit, Brett M. Kavanaugh of the District of Columbia Circuit, Raymond M. Kethledge of the Sixth Circuit, and Amul R. Thapar of the Sixth Circuit.
The president has expressed great interest in nominating a woman to the Supreme Court. Should he nominate Amy Barret from the Seventh Circuit, she would join Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor, as the fourth woman on the bench. Barret is a favorite among religious conservatives and clerked for Justice Scalia.
Kavanaugh was appointed by President George W. Bush and clerked for Justice Kennedy. Kethledge also clerked for Justice Kennedy and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. Judge Thapar was President Trump's nominee for an appeals court in 2017. Thapar was also considered by Trump to fill Justice Scalia's seat in 2017. Whoever the president appoints, they would surely be confirmed by the Senate, which is a Republican majority Senate. How will Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats react to the announcement? And what questions will be asked at the Senate hearings?
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. President Trump will make history again by nominating a second judge in his first term. Justice Kennedy's retirement will be official on July 31st, 2018. After the President's announcement on July 9th preparations for Senate hearings will begin. As stated earlier, the next Justice of the Supreme Court will have a major impact and may change the course of history.
