President Trump’s New List of Potential SCOTUS Nominees

President Trump today put out a new list of potential SCOTUS nominees, in addition to the list he put out four years ago.

Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Bridget Bade, Ninth Circuit

Daniel Cameron, Kentucky AG

Paul Clement, former Solicitor General

Tom Cotton, U.S. Senator

Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator

Stuart Kyle Duncan, Fifth Circuit

Steven Engel, AAG for DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel

Noel Francisco, former Solicitor General

Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator

James Ho, Fifth Circuit

Gregory Katsas, D.C. Circuit

Barbara Lagoa, Eleventh Circuit

Christopher Landau, Ambassador to Mexico

Carlos Muñiz, Florida supreme court

Martha Pacold, Northern District of Illinois

Peter Phipps, Third Circuit

Sarah Pitlyk, Eastern District of Missouri

Allison Jones Rushing, Fourth Circuit

Kate Todd, deputy White House counsel

Lawrence VanDyke, Ninth Circuit

One surprise omission is Naomi Rao, a Trump appointee to the DC Circuit.  She does not have much experience as a judge, but has a first-rate legal mind, and I would hope that she would be considered.

I know, slightly, several people on the list:  Paul Clement, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Noel Francisco, Jim Ho, Greg Katsas (a neighbor as well as a friend), and Kate Todd.  All would make superb justices.  My guess, however, is that Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton have other things in mind.  I sure hope so.

Seldom mentioned fact:  Neither of Trump’s first term picks, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, was on his list last time.