President Donald Trump guaranteed supporters during a campaign rally in North Carolina his next Supreme Court nominee would be a “very talented, very brilliant woman” after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s tragic death.
Now Trump is teasing his replacement pick for the Supreme Court.
He made a note to express condolences to Ruth’s family, and talked about her exemplary relationship with the late Justice Anthony Scalia — saying “we can disagree on fundamental issues while treating each other with decency, dignity, and respect.”
But that the president still has a replacement pick in the works.
“We have numerous women on the list. I built this incredible list of brilliant people.”
And he told supporters to expect a nominee next week.
The Daily Wire predicted that the pick could come from a pool of 12 qualified women, with a couple of names already considered strong frontrunners.
According to insider sources, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett appears to be in the lead. Critics say Barrett has an edge over other candidates, as she was previously considered a top choice to replace former Justice Anthony Kennedy, before ultimately choosing Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
USA Today is also noting a dark horse candidate in U.S. 1th Court of Appeals Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban American who Trump called “highly respected.”
The 10 other possible names in contention are as follows, according to The Daily Wire:
Allison Eid, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Britt Grant, U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit
Joan Larsen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Margaret Ryan, former U.S. Court of Appeals for Armed Forces
Diane Sykes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Bridget Bade, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Martha Pacold, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Sarah Pitlyk, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Allison Jones Rushing, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Kate Todd, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President
The Horn editorial team