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The Tap: Fourth of July edition
This week’s Tap is taking a break to celebrate the Fourth of July and the founding of our country. Instead, we asked our staff to suggest the articles, both political and otherwise, that caught their attention in the past few weeks.
We hope you have a safe weekend continuing the celebrations!
Our picks:
Be prepared for Monday's SCOTUS announcement
President Donald Trump is expected to make an announcement on Monday night with his nominee for the forthcoming Supreme Court vacancy. The news cycle this week has been dominated by rumors, speculation, and opinions about the possible nominee. Read on to re-familiarize yourself with what transpired….or get caught up if you’ve been drowned by the week’s deluge of information.
Learn more about the process to fill Kennedy's seat.
The Washington Post reported yesterday Trump narrowed the nominee list to three names: federal judges Brett M. Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett. NPR’s Tina Totenberg named Kavanaugh and Barrett on Friday.
Democrats have voiced opposition to all 25 potential nominees on Trump’s list. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) tweeted “NOBODY on the Federalist Society list of extreme right-wing jurists is an acceptable nominee.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would vote to approve a nominee from the list the day Kennedy announced his retirement. “The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional role by offering advice and consent on President Trump’s nominee to fill this vacancy,” he said.
Some Republicans have criticized Kavanaugh as a potential choice. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said Kavanaugh would be unreliable to conservatives. His critics also point to his ties to former President George W. Bush and a 2011 ruling which they said aided the Supreme Court in upholding the Affordable Care Act. Kavanaugh’s supporters have said his record of opinions speaks for itself, with one former student calling his “integrity and backbone” his most notable qualities.
Satellite groups had an active week. The group Demand Justice, formed on June 28 and led by former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer Brian Fallon, began running ads on Thursday in Maine and Alaska, homes to Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. The ads focus on comments Trump made in October 2016, where he said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. “Senator Susan Collins could be the deciding vote on Trump’s pick for justice. She claims to support a woman’s right to have an abortion, so why won’t she rule out voting for Trump’s anti-choice picks?” one ad says.
A network of organizations plans to spend millions in support of the Supreme Court nominee. The groups, including Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Partners, and Concerned Veterans, also spent millions supporting the confirmation of Gorsuch. Sarah Field, vice president for judicial strategy at Americans for Prosperity, said the group would support any candidate on Trump’s list of 25. “We’re impressed with the whole list,” she said. “The president has a great record of picking judges with a fidelity to the Constitution.”
Our Supreme Court coverage landed us on the SCOTUSblog this week. Check it out and see our Twitter thread too.
