Daily US Times: In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has updated a roster of more than 20 potential Supreme Court nominees, a list that includes prominent and lesser-known conservatives who would undoubtedly tilt the court further rightward if one were appointed.
The death of Supreme Court Justice and a liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, provides President Trump with an opportunity to appoint his third justice to the bench, a move that is sure to infuriate Democrats and satisfy Republicans looking to add a sixth conservative justice to the court.
Here are some of the more notable members of Trump’s list of potential nominees:
Amy Coney Barrett
A former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, she was Trump’s pick for a seat on the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
Barrett in 1972, she served as a professor of law at her alma mater, Notre Dame.
She had a contentious exchange with Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California during her confirmation hearing.
Amul Thapar
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell handpicked Thapar to serve as the US attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He went on to a seat on the US District Court in 2006 for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
In 2017, Trump nominated Thapar to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
Thapar was born in Michigan in 1969 and has served in government as well as the private practice. He was the first American of South Asian descent to be named to an Article III federal judgeship, in 2007.
Paul Clement and Noel Francisco
Francisco had stepped down as solicitor general in July at the end of the Supreme Court’s last term. He had served as many controversial issues came to the court, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, disputes regarding the President’s financial records, the travel ban, religious liberty and the effort to add a citizenship question to the census.
During George W. Bush’s presidency, Clement served as solicitor general. One of the most experienced appellate advocates in the country, he has argued more than 100 cases before the court, including those involving religious liberty, voting rights and health care.
You may read: US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies
