Donald Trump Pledges To Nominate A Woman To Succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg On The Supreme Court
President Donald Trump claimed that he has decided to nominate a woman following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
According to Reuters, Trump made the comments during a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman,” he said. “I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men.”
Meanwhile, supporters chanted “fill the seat” as Trump made the announcement. Insiders have said that they expect the president to make a nomination mid-week, around Wednesday.
The promise to nominate a woman comes as many have lamented the loss of Ginsburg as a feminist icon. The late Justice was the second woman ever to hold a seat on the Supreme Court and had been vocal in her views about female empowerment.
As was previously covered by The Inquisitr, legal experts and politicos have tipped the frontrunner to be Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit. Barrett is known as a strong Constitutionalist and has already been vetted for the position following the retirement of Justice Kennedy in 2018. The nomination eventually went to Brett Kavanaugh, who was sworn in after a long and partisan appointment process.
However, the Indiana-based judge had made an impression on the president
“[I’m] saving her for Ginsburg,” he reportedly joked at the time.
Though Coney Barrett may be considered the favorite, she has fierce competition in Barbara Lagoa, of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit. Lagoa first made waves as the first Latina to sit on the Florida Supreme Court, and she was recently praised by Trump, who has promised to fill the vacancy left by Ginsburg’s death “without delay.”
“Justice Lagoa is perfect,” said a source to Politico, who had insider knowledge of the situation but was not authorized to speak on record.
“The president wants a conservative jurist and he wants to win the biggest battleground. How do Democrats in the Senate vote against a Latina?” the source added.
“Lagoa is at the top of the list. She checks a lot of boxes,” echoed a second Republican insider.
A third potential candidate is Allison Jones Rushing, who has served on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the past year and a half. Still in her late 30s, Rushing would be the youngest judge ever should she win the seat.
Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor currently serve as the two female voices on the SCOTUS.
