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Trump Appointments Tag

So this is my quick take on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. My overwhelming focus as the drama unfolded tonight was not Kavanaugh's record. I'm not sufficiently familiar with Kavanaugh's record to reach an independent judgment on him. But Kavanaugh has passed muster with a wide range of conservatives who are familiar with his record and background, particularly Leonard Leo of The Federalist Society. I'll rely on, and accept, their judgment on future Justice Kavanaugh.

It's getting crazy out here on the internet. Trump names his nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy at a live press conference at 9 p.m. tonight. Trump did a pretty good job keeping the selection on the quiet with Neil Gorsuch, and as of this writing, there have been no definitive leaks. Just a lot of "insider" speculation as to who the finalists and top 2 are.

As the July 9 date for Trump to announce his pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy nears, there is a vicious multi-front war evolving. Of course, Democrats are attacking every likely nominee, with the anti-Catholic bigotry against Amy Coney Barrett the most prominent. Barrett would be the most finger-in-the-liberals-eye pick, and not just because of her Catholicism. She has seven (7) children -- that is a provocation in the minds of liberal feminists and the people who love them that cannot be abided.

Neil Gorsuch was an incredibly safe pick for Trump. Despite the plaintive wails of Democrats about a "stolen" seat, they didn't have much with which to go after Gorsuch on the merits. Nonetheless Democrats filibustered Gorsuch, forcing Republican's to play the nuclear option for a SCOTUS nominee (as Democrats did in 2013 for all lower courts and made clear they would do if Hillary won and they regained the Senate).

Pretty much since the 2016 election we've been tracking the potential Donald Trump has to fundamentally alter the federal judiciary. At various times we've expressed frustration with the ability of Democrats to slow down the Senate confirmation process. We've also recognized that for the most part Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have kept nominees moving through the pipeline.