Trump interviews 4 judges for apex court
US President Donald Trump has interviewed four judges for a vacancy in the US Supreme Court, including Indian-origin judge Amul Thapar.
Trump himself told reporters he had interviewed four candidates. “They are outstanding people, they are really incredible people in so many different ways, academically and every other way and I had a very, very interesting morning,” he said, without naming them.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also refused to name them, but did say each of the four spent about 45 minutes with Trump.
The Washington Post identified the four interviewed as Thapar, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Raymond Kethledge.
Trump plans to announce his pick on July 9.
Thapar is not new to being interviewed by Trump — he went through the process in 2017, following which he was named to the Sixth Circuit courts of appeal, which is one rung below the Supreme Court.
However, Trump’s final pick may have to go through a bruising confirmation process. Democrats
WASHINGTON:
fear the new judge may overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion in all 50 states. Pro-life groups have long agitated for it to be overturned and return to each state the right to decide if they should or not allow abortions.
Thapar’s supporters say this is a chance for Trump to make history. If confirmed, he will be the first Supreme Court judge of Asian origin.
Barrett is also emerging as a strong contender. Ramesh Ponnuru, an Indian American conservative writer, pitched for her in a recent column in Bloomberg arguing: “She is a woman”. He said if the Roe v Wade ruling is overturned, “it would be better if it were not done by only male justices, with every female justice in dissent” — all three women on the Supreme Court support the ruling and will oppose any attempt to overturn it.