Donald Trump has released a list of people he would nominate to the Supreme Court if elected president.
Trump’s list includes Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado, Raymond Gruender of Missouri, Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, William Pryor of Alabama, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas.
According to Trump’s campaign, the list makes up those he “would consider as potential replacements for Justice Scalia at the United States Supreme Court.”
“This list was compiled, first and foremost, based on constitutional principles, with input from highly respected conservatives and Republican party leadership,” the campaign said.
In a statement, Trump said: “Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice. His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms. He was a Justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country. The following list of potential Supreme Court justices is representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value and, as President, I plan to use this list as a guide to nominate our next United States Supreme Court Justices.”
In March, Trump promised to release such a list, explaining he was doing so in part to show conservatives he wouldn’t pick a liberal.
“I’m going to submit a list of justices, potential justices of the United States Supreme Court, that I will appoint from the list,” Trump then. “I won’t go beyond the list, and I’m going to let people know. Because some people say maybe I’ll appoint a liberal judge. I’m not appointing a liberal judge.”
Conservatives reacted with praise. “This list ought to be encouraging to anyone who prioritizes the rule of law, and I congratulate Mr. Trump on making a very significant policy statement about his desire to prioritize the future of the Supreme Court,” said Carrie Severino, the chief counsel and policy director of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network.
“The names on this list would need to be vetted, obviously, but they all seem to share in common a record of putting the law and the Constitution ahead of their political preferences,” Severino said.
Quin Hillyer, a conservative columnist and outspoken Never Trump-er, offered cautious praise of the picks, though expressed skepticism Trump would actually choose someone from it if elected.
“It is a very strong list, especially Bill Pryor and Diane Sykes,” Hillyer said in an interview. “Trump should be applauded for releasing it, but I trust this list as far as I can throw a rhinoceros.”