Trump has 2 or 3 more candidates to interview for court

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has interviewed four prospective Supreme Court justices and plans to meet with a few more as his White House aggressively mobilizes to select a replacement for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Eager to build suspense, Trump wouldn’t divulge whom he’s talking to in advance of his big announcement, set for next Monday. But he promised that “they are outstanding people. They are really incredible people in so many different ways, academically and in every other way. I had a very, very interesting morning.”

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump met with four people for 45 minutes each Monday and will continue meetings through the rest of the week. She said Tuesday he has “two or three more that he’ll interview this week and then make a decision.”

Trump interviewed federal appeals judges Raymond Kethledge, Amul Thapar, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, said a person with knowl- edge of the meetings who was not authorized to speak publicly about them.

The president also spoke by phone with Utah Sen. Mike Lee on Monday. That was first reported by the Deseret News and later confirmed by the senator’s office. Asked about the call, White House spokesman Raj Shah only said: “Yesterday, the president spoke on the phone with Sen. Mike Lee.”

Lee is the only lawmaker on the list of 25 names Trump says he will use to replace Kennedy, though he has not been viewed as a top contender.

The president spent the outside groups. Schumer said that while weekend at his Bedminster Trump’s push came as the Democrats don’t control golf club, consulting with Senate’s top Democrat tried the Senate — Republicans advisers, including White to rally public opposition have a 51-49 edge — most House counsel Don McGahn, to any Supreme Court pick senators back abortion as he considers his options who would oppose abor- rights. In an unusually to fill the vacancy with a justion rights. Senate Minority d irect appeal to voters, tice who has the potential to Leader Chuck Schu mer he said that to block “an be part of precedent-shat- issued a campaign-season ideological nominee,” peotering court decisions on call to action for voters to ple should “tell your senabortion, health care, gay prevent such a nominee by ators” to oppose anyone marriage and other issues. putting “pressure on the from Trump’s list.

McGahn will lead the overSenate,” which confirms “It will not happen on its all selection and confirmajudicial nominees. own,” the New Yorker wrote t ion proce s s, t he White With Trump commit- in an opinion column in House said Monday, repeatted to picking from a list Monday’s New York Times. ing the role he played in the of 25 potential nominees “It requires the public’s successful confirmation of that he compiled with guid- focus on these issues, and Justice Neil Gorsuch last year. ance from conservatives, its pressure on the Senate.”

McGahn will be supported Schumer said any of them S chumer’s column by a White House team that would be “virtually cer- appeared a day after Sen. includes spokesman Raj tain” to favor overturn- Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Shah, taking a leave from ing Roe v. Wade, the 1973 she would oppose any nomthe press office to work full case that affirmed wominee she believed would time on “communications, en’s right to abortion. They overturn Roe v. Wade. strategy and messaging coor- would also be “very likely” Collins, who appeared dination with Capitol Hill to back weakening Presion ABC’s “This Week” and allies.” Justin Clark, direcdent Barack Obama’s 2010 CNN’s “State of the Union,” tor of the Office of Public law that expanded health said she would only back Liaison, will oversee White care coverage to millions a judge who would show House coordination with of Americans, he said. respect for settled law such as the Roe decision, which has long been anathema to conservatives.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Ashland, Kentucky, on Monday that “it’s probably going to be close; I think there will be a big, national campaign rage. But in the end, I’m confident we’ll get the judge confirmed.”

During his 2016 campaign and presidency, Trump has embraced anti-abortion groups and vowed to appoint federal judges who will favor efforts to roll back abortion rights. But he told reporters on Friday that he would not question potential high-court nominees about their views on abortion, saying it was “inappropriate to discuss.”

Without Kennedy, the high court will have four justices picked by Democratic presidents and four picked by Republicans, giving Trump the chance to shift the ideological balance toward conservatives for years to come. Both Chief Justice John Roberts and Gorsuch, Trump’s first pick to the high court, have indicated more broadly that they respect legal precedent.