President Narrows Down SCOTUS Nominee List, Plans to Announce Pick 9pm EDT Today

According to Politico:

“President Donald Trump interviewed three more Supreme Court candidates on Tuesday, the White House announced.

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“Deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement earlier on Tuesday that Trump had spoken by phone with Sen. Mike Lee on Monday about the Supreme Court seat, and he also reportedly met on Monday with federal appeals court judges Amy Coney Barrett of the 7th U.S. Circuit; Brett Kavanaugh of the District of Columbia Circuit; and Raymond Kethledge and Amul Thapar of the 6th Circuit.

Trump plans to announce his choice on Monday, setting up a major fight in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority.”

The pending battle over the nomination is expected to absorb the Senate’s attention and, as such, limit its capacity to advance other legislative priorities. According to The Hill:

“Senators are griping that the looming nomination, with an announcement expected on Monday, will prevent them from being able to focus on legislation, as lawmakers dig in for a drawn-out rhetorical battle to confirm President Trump’s pick to succeed retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

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That list includes final passage of the defense bill, water infrastructure and opioid legislation, funding the government and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program.

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GOP leadership and the White House want Trump’s nominee in place before the next Supreme Court term begins in early October, potentially setting up a nightmare September where the Senate is trying to avoid a government shutdown and confirm the nominee.”