Trump’s Long, Unconventional Supreme Court List And What It Says About His Approach To The Judiciary
September 10, 2020
A LONG, LONG LIST
|Yesterday, PRESIDENT TRUMP released his list of potential picks for the Supreme Court that he says he would choose from in a second term if a vacancy occurs. The new list includes 20 names that weren’t on his previous shortlists, and before listing the new candidates, he singled out three judges from earlier lists who are widely believed to be his favorites: AMY CONEY BARRETT; THOMAS HARDIMAN; and WILLIAM H. PRYOR JR.
FRESH FACES THAT ARE FRESH OF FACE
|The Wall Street Journal compiled brief biographies of the new folks on PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SCOTUS shortlist which now includes TOM COTTON and TED CRUZ. The WSJ notes, “The list is unconventional, including not only federal appellate judges—the most common background for nominees in recent years—but several senators, a state attorney general, an ambassador, a White House lawyer and two former solicitors general, none of whom has served as a judge. They also skew quite young compared with other appointees to the court, ranging in age from 34 to 56.”
BASE INSTINCTS
|Nina Totenberg with NPR suggests of the new Trump list, “Perhaps the most interesting name on the list is PAUL CLEMENT, who served as solicitor general in the GEORGE W. BUSH administration and is considered perhaps the best legal advocate among the very able lawyers who practice regularly before the Supreme Court.” She also notes that the federal judges on the new list are all Trump appointees “with records hostile to abortion, voting-rights legislation, LGBTQ rights and regulation of business and the environment.”
US VS. THEM
|Joan Biskupic with CNN also reviews PRESIDENT TRUMP’S list of Supreme Court picks and the rhetoric he’s used around the courts that reflect his “us-versus-them” approach to the judiciary. She argues, “His exaggerated claims and the revised list reflect more than the usual campaign crowing. They are a reminder of Trump’s broader attempt to use and control the federal judiciary. His actions undermine the traditional neutrality of the bench.”
OTHER NEWS
California Supreme Court Rejects Lawsuits Seeking To Reopen Schools During Pandemic
Los Angeles Times“The California Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives limiting in-classroom instruction to slow the spread of COVID-19. During a private conference, the state’s highest court rejected without comment lawsuits brought by the Orange County Board of Education and others to reopen schools statewide.”