Conservatives Praise Trump for Additions to His List of Favorites for Constitutionally Faithful Judicial Picks

THE WHITE HOUSE—President Trump is adding five new names to his Supreme Court list. That's the same list that used to have 21 names before Trump plucked Neil Gorsuch off the list and nominated him to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia's death.

Four of the five were nominated just this year by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as judges or justices at levels below the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Grassroots activists around the country are thankful to President Trump for keeping his promise to appoint judges who will interpret the Constitution and our laws the way they are written," Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund Chairman Jenny Beth Martin stated.  

"Each person added to the list approaches the law and our Constitution in the same way as Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom we enthusiastically support," she went on to say.

One of the Five was Recent Target of Democrats

Amy Coney Barrett may be the most well-known name of the five new ones being added. That's because her confirmation hearing made so much news when it appeared Democrats like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D - Calif., were attacking Barrett's Catholicism during that hearing.   Feinstein uttered words heard and read all over the country when she said of Barrett's Catholicism, "the dogma lives loudly within you."

Barrett was confirmed and now serves as Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals judge.

"We are especially thankful to see Judge Amy Barrett considered.  At a time when the truth behind the treatment of women is being exposed at every level of our culture, it is great to see the president standing by an accomplished woman like Judge Barrett, who was maliciously and unjustly attacked for her faith during her confirmation hearings," said Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America CEO and president.

Another woman is among the five. Britt Grant was just chosen as a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Kevin Newsom recently moved into his new job as an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals judge. In early days, he served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Patrick Wyrick just recently became a justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the same state where he served as solicitor general for the last six years.

The only one of the five new people on the list who's been in his present position for a few years is Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who's served since 2006 on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. He once served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the justice most often rumored to be considering retirement.

President Trump is committing to choose a nominee from this updated list of 25 people should another Supreme Court vacancy  arise during his presidency.   Some court analysts have guessed Trump may actually get to name three or four high court justices, especially if he ends up serving eight years.

Pro-Life Leader Pleased with New Five

Of the five names added Friday to the list of 20, Marjorie Dannenfelser of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List stated, "These five judges are exceptionally qualified and any one of them would make an outstanding Supreme Court justice."

She added, "President Trump set a high standard with Justice Neil Gorsuch and continues to impress with his excellent list of nominees for future vacancies. President Trump continues to keep his promise to nominate only judges who are loyal to the Constitution, not to an activist pro-abortion agenda."

Trump made news during his candidacy by releasing the original list of 21 names of possible Supreme Court nominees. He's the first presidential candidate to release such a list and pledge to pick a person from it.

Some three-quarters of voters said the Supreme Court was their top reason or one of their top reasons for picking the presidential candidate they voted for in last year's election.  Of those who said it was their number one issue, 56 percent voted for Trump.

More Praise for Trump's Judicial List Picks

"These are stellar additions to the existing list of Supreme Court potentials. They show that the administration's judicial-nominations team continues to be serious about picking people who are widely respected for their intellectual rigor and commitment to the rule of law, " said Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.

"As was the case with the lists Trump put out during his presidential campaign, these new additions to the list are conservative men and women who are committed to interpreting the Constitution according to its original public meaning," the Heritage Foundation's John Malcolm, Elizabeth Slattery and Tiffany Bates wrote in a statement.

"These men and women have spent years in the trenches of state and federal government fighting for the Constitution and the rule of law. They represent a diverse range of backgrounds, including both state and federal judges, three who were former state solicitors general with first-hand experience protecting our constitutional balance of powers," Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network wrote.