White House: Trump to release list of potential Supreme Court nominees after Labor Day

by Morgan Chalfant - 09/03/20 2:33 PM ET

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday that President Trump in the coming weeks will issue an updated list of conservative justices he would consider for future Supreme Court nominations.

“You will see it soon,” McEnany told reporters when asked about the forthcoming list at a White House press briefing. “Certainly in the next few weeks, but it will be after the Labor Day weekend.”

Trump said in June that he planned to release the new list on Sept. 1.

He made that announcement following a pair of rulings that frustrated his administration, including the Supreme Court decision that blocked the president’s plan to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era program that provided protection for immigrants who entered the country illegally as children.

Trump issued a similar list of potential Supreme Court nominees in May 2016, helping him win support from conservative voters who were skeptical of his candidacy. Trump has nominated two justices to the Supreme Court — Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — and could get the opportunity to nominate another, especially if he wins a second term.

The Trump administration is expected to consider some judges that Trump has placed on the appellate bench as candidates for the updated list.

Trump often touts his judicial appointments as a central accomplishment on the campaign trail, while warning that Democrats would tap liberal justices to the court if presidential nominee Joe Biden wins in November.

The Senate confirmed Trump’s 200th judicial appointment in June, a significant milestone for the administration. Trump’s imprint on the federal judicial system is likely to be felt for decades.

Still, a spate of rulings this past term have disappointed conservatives. Gorsuch notably sided with Chief Justice John Roberts and the liberal justices to guarantee LGBT individuals protection from discrimination in the workplace, a landmark ruling for the high court. Roberts also sided with the liberal justices on the bench to block the administration’s effort to rescind DACA.