Next order will be Supreme Court pick
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will unveil his Supreme Court nominee today, seeking to tilt the bench to conservatives on long divisive issues including abortion and gun control.
Trump’s choice intends to fill a vacancy left by the death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia in February last year, which left the highest US court with four conservative and four liberal justices.
The “very big decision”, is to be announced at 8pm (1am GMT Wednesday) at the White House, Trump said. The candidate is unbelievably highly respected, he said.
The Supreme Court pick, during prime television viewing, sets the stage for a bruising battle with opposition Democrats.
The Democrats, who are in a minority in both chambers of Congress, are still smarting from the Republicans’ refusal to consider – much less vote on – former president Barack Obama’s nominee for the same Supreme Court seat. And, although, Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate they need 60 to confirm a nominee, which means Trump’s choice must be someone capable of winning some Democratic votes.
Abortion, gay marriage and gun control are just some of the controversial issues on which the Supreme Court is the final arbiter.
Its members are confirmed by the Senate and serve life terms. Given the advanced age of several sitting justices, Trump could potentially make several appointments during his term, shaping the court’s direction for a generation.
Once confirmed, however, justices enjoy independence and some have proved politically unpredictable, which sharply raises the stakes of the Senate confirmation process.
Trump has said he wants a candidate who opposes abortion and firmly backs the right to own guns.
In a presidential debate in October, Trump said his Supreme Court picks would automatically lead to overturning Roe v Wade, the emblematic 1973 ruling that legalised abortion. Frontrunners for the post include:
● Neil Gorsuch, 49, an appellate court judge who is considered an ideological match to Scalia and takes a broad view of religious freedom;
● William Pryor, 54, an appellate court judge and former Alabama attorney-general seen as an abortion rights opponent;
● Thomas Hardiman, 51, an appellate court judge with a record as a defender of gun rights, police powers and the rights of local governments to display the 10 Commandments. — AFP