● Sens. Rubio and Scott want Trump to pick Lagoa,

Florida’s two U.S. senators have made personal appeals to President Donald Trump to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court with Miami native Barbara Lagoa.

In interviews with the Miami Herald, Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio said they spoke to Trump about their preference for Lagoa, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta and a former Florida Supreme Court justice.

Lagoa is considered a top finalist for the lifetime appointment along with Amy Coney Barrett, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago. If Lagoa is nominated and confirmed, she would be the first Floridian, the first Cuban-American and the second Hispanic on the nation’s highest court.

“I spoke to him today,” Rubio said Wednesday, referring to Trump. “I think [Lagoa] would be great and I’m a big fan of Judge Barrett, too. I have a preference, I suppose, for Lagoa because she’s from South Florida, because her life story is emblematic of everything we hope for our children in our community.”

Trump said he will make his Supreme Court pick on Saturday. He has said he intends to fill Ginsburg’s vacancy with a woman.

Rubio said Lagoa’s education at Florida International University and her experience in the private sector as an attorney are pluses.

Scott said that when he spoke to Trump, he brought up Lagoa’s relatively uncontroversial appointment less than a year ago when she was confirmed to the appeals court.

“I think they’re probably both great candidates but I know Barbara and she would be great for Florida,” Scott said.