President Trump on Wednesday released a new list of conservatives he’ll consider for future vacancies on the Supreme Court, including Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, replaying a campaign strategy that won over conservatives in 2016 and was credited with helping him to win the presidency.
The president said his move underscores the stakes of the presidential election, and what would happen to the federal courts if Democrat Joseph R. Biden won.
“Radical justices will erase the Second Amendment, silence political speech and require taxpayers to fund extreme late-term abortions,” the president said.
Among the potential nominees are two holdovers from his previous list who are considered front-runners: Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Amul Thapar of the Sixth Circuit.
Mr. Cruz said it was “humbling and an immense honor to be considered for the Supreme Court.”
“The high court pays a unique role in defending the Constitution of the United States,” he said. “In the Senate, I have been blessed to lead the fight to preserve our constitutional liberties — every day, to defend the rights of 29 million Texans — and I look forward to continuing to do do so for many years to come.”
Also included on the list were Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, Judge Thomas Hardiman of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge William Pryor of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The president said these potential nominees are “in the mold” of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and current Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
While the president has been promising for months to release the list, the announcement on Wednesday afternoon seemed to be timed to change the subject from a flood of negative headlines about journalist Bob Woodward’s new book on the president, titled “Rage.” It quotes the president saying that he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus.
Mr. Trump’s announcement may put pressure on Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden to release his own list of possible Supreme Court nominees. Mr. Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court.
Liberal judicial advocacy group Demand Justice called for Mr. Biden to release his list before the November election, the group’s executive director, Brian Fallon, told C-SPAN Wednesday.
“The vice president has said that he’s considering it,” Mr. Fallon said. “We know that he’s made a commitment to nominate the first African American woman to the bench, and we think that’s amazing. We’d love for him to go further to say some names that he’s considering.”
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project that advocates for Mr. Trump’s judicial picks, said conservatives should be thrilled with all of the candidates on the list as well-qualified options for any Supreme Court vacancy.
“By issuing his updated Supreme Court list today, President Trump is once again putting his cards on the table for the American people — promising to pick Supreme Court justices who understand their crucial job in protecting us from government overreach and mob rule,” Mr. Davis said.
Mr. Davis said A3P is mounting an advocacy campaign this fall to support President Trump’s judicial picks and contrast Republicans’ approach with a “Biden-Harris list” of potential Supreme Court appointments favored by liberal groups.
Soon after the president made the announcement, Mr. Cotton voiced his support for overturning the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
“It’s time for Roe v. Wade to go,” Mr. Cotton tweeted.
Sen. Charles Grassley, Iowa Republican who is in line to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee in January, said the president “made history” in 2016 with his list of potential nominees and “now he’s done it a 2nd time.”
“Trump has proven record on transforming the federal judiciary & it will remain a top priority,” he tweeted. “I look fwd to chairing judic cmte next 2yrs to vet his nominees.”
Maureen Ferguson, senior fellow for The Catholic Association, said the president’s expanded list of Supreme Court candidates “brings transparency and clarity to the American voters who care about the rule of law and the defense of our constitutional rights.”
“Most of the additions come from the pool of his extraordinary appointees to the circuit courts,” she said. “Voters are left to wonder why Joe Biden won’t treat them with the same respect and release a list of his own.”
Mr. Hawley said he appreciated the president’s gesture but he’s already told Mr. Trump that “Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court.”
“I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives,” he said on Twitter.
