THAPAR NOT IN TRUMP’S SHORTLIST FOR US SC JUSTICE >>

Washington, July 7: Prominent Indian-American judge Amul Thapar has failed to make it to the shortlist of the three candidates from which President Donald Trump is likely to pick his replacement for retiring US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a media report said on Saturday.

Justice Kennedy, 81, recently announced his retirement from the US Supreme Court. He met Trump at the White House soon after he told his colleagues in the Supreme Court that July 31 would be his last day at the apex court.

Trump is likely to announce his nominees to replace Kennedy on Monday. The US President interviewed seven candidates from his master list of 25 judges, the White House said.

Thapar, 49, a Cincinnatibased federal appeals court judge, was among the first four candidates interviewed by Trump on July 2. The three others were justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Raymond Kethledge. A day later, Trump interviewed three other individuals.

According to National Public Radio (NPR), Trump has reduced the names of the potential nominees to three judges Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Raymond Kethledge.

The first two are the top contenders for the position, the report said.

While final nominees will be known only when Trump makes the announcement, this would be for the second time that Thapar might not be able to make the final cut after being interviewed by Trump.