I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. (W.H.)
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017
Ten days into his new presidency, Donald Trump is preparing to announce his nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court seat that has remained vacant since the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. The there has long been speculation as to who Trump would pick, and on Monday morning, the President tweeted that he has made a decision.
The two rumored contenders at the moment are Judge Thomas Hardiman from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Neil Gorsuch from the Tenth Circuit.
Hardiman is a conservative with a history of favoring gun rights. He doesn’t have much of a record when it comes to other hot-button conservative issues such as abortion and matters related to the LGBT community, so he may prove to be a wild card. Judge Hardiman is colleagues on the Third Circuit with the President’s sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. Judge Barry has been said to have recommended Hardiman to her her younger brother.
Gorsuch is known for being a conservative like Scalia, both in belief and in writing style. He has previously ruled in favor of religious freedom against provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
While Trump says he has made his decision, he plans on keeping the country in suspense for a little while, as he plans on making the announcement Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm ET.
