Rumor Has It Another Supreme Court Vacancy Could Come As Early As This Summer

If you thought the battle over Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch was ugly, get ready for round two. At least, that’s what some lawmakers are saying. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley believes another Supreme Court vacancy could come as early as this summer.

According to The Hill, rumors are swirling that swing voter Justice Anthony Kennedy, 80, is thinking of retiring. When asked which Justice’s seat he’d like to see opened up, Grassley refused to answer.

“Oh, I wouldn’t answer that. If I answered, for some it’d be like hoping they die,” Grassley said earlier this year.

A vacancy doesn’t necessarily mean death. You’d think some of these Justices would want to retire already. After all, Justice Stephen Breyer is 78, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is well into her 80s. (Word has it she falls asleep often. Also, she thinks Lindsey Graham is a woman.)

If any one of those Justices retired this summer, the Senate would likely scramble to get the new nominee approved before the start of the new term later this year.

That being said, here are five people– according to the Hill– that we should all keep an eye on. Any one of them could be Trump’s next SCOTUS nominee:

1. Raymond Kethledge

The judge on the Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals was one of the names on Trump’s original list and appears to be an early favorite this time around.

2. William Pryor

The ultraconservative 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge is a favorite of conservatives and definitely in the running.

 

Pryor, who was on Trump’s original list, was seen as a controversial choice last time around given his public criticisms of Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established abortion rights.

3. Paul Clement

The former U.S. Solicitor General under the George W. Bush administration is another possible choice.

 

Though not a judge, Clement has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court as an attorney.

4. Brett Kavanaugh

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge wasn’t included in the original list of possible picks Trump drafted with the help of the Heritage Foundation, but he appears to be a viable candidate now.

 

He has risen in favor among conservative groups after issuing the court’s majority ruling in an opinion last year that found the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unconstitutional.

5. Thomas Hardiman

Hardiman, a respected conservative who sits on the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, was runner-up to Gorsuch.

One thing’s for sure. This battle will be nastier than the last.