Today President trump released another list of potential Supreme Court nominees. These are described as additions to the president’s prior lists, so those original people are still in the mix. This is today’s list:
Bridget Bade is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to her appointment in 2019, Judge Bade was a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Arizona and an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. Judge Bade served as a law clerk to Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Judge Bade earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Arizona State University and her J.D., cum laude, from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Daniel Cameron is the 51st Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Before his election in 2019, Attorney General Cameron practiced law with Frost Brown Todd, LLC and served as Legal Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He served as a law clerk to Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Attorney General Cameron received his B.S. from the University of Louisville and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law.
Tom Cotton is a United States Senator for the State of Arkansas. Prior to his election in 2014, Senator Cotton served as a Member in the United States House of Representatives and in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Captain while serving in both Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. Prior to his military service, Senator Cotton practiced law at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP. Senator Cotton served as a law clerk to Judge Jerry Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Paul Clement is a partner with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. He previously served as Solicitor General of the United States and has argued over 100 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. He served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States and Judge Laurence Silberman on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Clement received his B.S.F.S., summa cum laude, from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; his M.Phil. from Cambridge University; and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Ted Cruz is a United States Senator for the State of Texas. Prior to his election in 2012, Senator Cruz was a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP and served as Solicitor General of Texas. Senator Cruz served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist on the Supreme Court of the United States and Judge J. Michael Luttig on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Senator Cruz received his A.B., cum laude, from Princeton University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Stuart Kyle Duncan is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before his appointment in 2018, he was a partner at Schaerr Duncan, LLP and General Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Earlier in his career, Judge Duncan served as Solicitor General of Louisiana. Judge Duncan served as a law clerk to Judge John M. Duhé, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University; his J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University; and his LL.M. from Columbia University Law School.
I haven’t yet taken time to research some of these potential nominees, but it isn’t hard to spot the headliners. Ted Cruz on the Supreme Court? Liberal heads would explode. Is there anything worse, to a liberal, than Ted Cruz on the high court? Yes: Tom Cotton on the Court. Both Cruz and Cotton are magnificently qualified, but Cotton has the advantage of being younger.
Paul Clement is also a familiar name, one of America’s best-known appellate lawyers. He was Solicitor General during the George W. Bush administration and has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court. Among many other cases he represented the National Rifle Association in the landmark McDonald v. Chicago case, and 26 states in the challenge to Obamacare.
Another name that will frighten the left is Daniel Cameron, the Attorney General of Kentucky. Cameron, who is black, got great reviews for his speech at the Republican convention.
I am sure the others are fine jurists, but I suspect these are the names that will give leftists the most heartburn.
UPDATE: A friend sent me this meme, which is making the rounds. Let’s hear it for Justice Cotton!
PAUL ADDS: Sens. Cotton, Cruz, and Hawley would all make fine Supreme Court Justices. However, I kind of like them where they are, doing what they’re doing for America. And in Cotton’s case, I like him as a candidate for higher office in four years.
Of those on the list with whom I’m familiar, my favorite is Greg Katsas of the D.C. Circuit. Katsas is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He clerked for Clarence Thomas, both on the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court.
During the Bush 43 administration, Katsas served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division and Acting Associate Attorney General, among other positions. He received the Edmund Randolph award for outstanding service, the highest honor given by the Department of Justice.
In the Trump administration, Katsas served as Deputy White House counsel, before being confirmed as a judge on the D.C. Circuit at the end of 2017.
Katsas is staunchly conservative, as this critique of his record confirms. At age 56, he’s young enough to render many years of service but old and experienced enough to be firmly rooted to the conservative principles he has advanced for decades.
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