Seasoned Judge And Relative Newcomer Rise To Top Of Trump’s SCOTUS List

The US Supreme Court is seen in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
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Seasoned appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh and recent circuit court appointee Judge Amy Coney Barrett are leading candidates in President Donald Trump’s search for a Supreme Court nominee, according to a Thursday Los Angeles Times report.

They both reportedly come from a list curated by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. The motto of the list is “no more Souters,” a reference to a George W. H. Bush appointee believed to be conservative who turned out to have a moderate-liberal bent while on the court, voting to uphold Roe v. Wade.

Both Kavanaugh and Barrett are far right enough to leave no doubt about their rulings, per the Los Angeles Times.

Kavanaugh is 53 and has a long record of conservative opinions on everything from guns to immigrants’ right to have an abortion. He was a top deputy to Kenneth Starr during Bill Clinton’s impeachment proceedings and was a member of the legal team representing George W. Bush in the recount battle after the 2000 election.

Barrett, 46, has a less extensive record but clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and was narrowly confirmed to the 7th circuit court in Chicago in November. She, unlike Kavanaugh, has written directly on Roe v. Wade, calling it “an erroneous decision.”

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Notable Replies

  1. A 46-year-old religious extremist who’s been a judge for one year and a longtime partisan hack. Fuck.

  2. The days of looking for someone withlegal knowledge is over… just need to be a political hack with preconceived thoughts on important legal questions. Perhaps that is better than Roberts lying about his support for precedent.

  3. Seriously. Watch the film RBG about how Justice Ginsburg was confirmed. You’ll feel like it’s from a different country, with another Orrin Hatch, who is civil and smart.

  4. I predict the “newcomer” - she’s in the Clarence Thomas “token” mold, plus she’s younger.

  5. That was expected though. Fuck Kennedy again. Sideways. With a transvaginal ultrasound probe.

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