The Patriot Post® · Supreme Court Justice Coming Soon

Donald Trump has let it be known that he will announce his choice fill the vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court next week. Reports are that Trump has narrowed the field down to two candidates, both of whom have strong conservative credentials, and who have each received unanimous Senate support in the past.

The candidate said to be the leading choice is U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch. He is Ivy League educated and considered to be the more conservative of the two. He has a good relationship Justice Anthony Kennedy, as he formally served as a law clerk for him. If Trump were to choose Gorsuch, it may not be long before Kennedy would announce his retirement encouraged by the solid choice. If only Ruth Bader Ginsburg could likewise be persuaded…

Trump’s other top candidate is current U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hardiman. Unlike all the current Supreme Court justices, Hardiman is not an Ivy League graduate. He brings more of a blue collar background, having worked as taxi driver while earning his law degree from Georgetown University. Some have suggested that Trump may be favoring Hardiman due to that fact that Trump’s sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, serves with him on the same circuit court and has a very high opinion of him.

Irrespective of who Trump chooses, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pretty much guaranteed that the nominee would be confirmed, telling Fox News’ Chris Wallace on Sunday, “I’m confident we’ll get a Supreme Court nominee confirmed.” Asked if that meant nuking the filibuster, McConnell replied simply, “I think the short answer is, the nominee will be confirmed.”

One final thought — it may be likely that both these men will end up serving on the Court, given that fact that three of the justices are 78 or older.