INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Donald Trump said they will be announcing the decision on Monday
(File)Washington/New York: US President Donald Trump said he met with four potential Supreme Court justices on Monday, while a person
familiar with the selection process said Trump was focused keenly on two people, although others were still in contention.Trump told
reporters at the White House that he will meet with "two or three more" candidates to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced last
week that he is retiring."We'll make a decision over the next few days and we'll be announcing it on Monday," Trump said.He met for 45
minutes with each contender, said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.Making his second Supreme Court appointment less than 18 months into
his presidency will let Trump cement conservative control of the court for years to come
Such a move would likely fire up Trump supporters eager for a rightward shift on divisive social issues such as abortion and gay
rights.Trump's nominee must win Senate confirmation
Republicans control the chamber by only a slim majority, making the views of moderates, including some Democrats, important.Federal appeals
court judges Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett have gained the most interest from Trump and his team, said the person familiar with the
selection process."There is keen interest in those two, but there are at least a couple of others who are still very seriously in the mix,"
said the person.Kavanaugh is a judge on the District of Columbia U.S
Barrett was named by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th U.S
Circuit Court of Appeals.The other top potential nominees are Thomas Hardiman, who serves on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S
Circuit Court of Appeals; Raymond Kethledge of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based 6th U.S
Circuit Court of Appeals; and Amul Thapar, whom Trump named to the 6th Circuit.Trump met with Kavanaugh, Barrett, Thapar and Kethledge on
Monday, the Washington Post reported, citing three people briefed on the meetings.White House Counsel Don McGahn will oversee Trump's
selection process, the White House said on Monday.McGahn held the same role for the process that led to Trump's selection of Neil Gorsuch,
who has become one of the most conservative justices on the court."Teams of attorneys from the White House Counsel's Office and Department
of Justice are working to ensure the president has all the information he needs to choose his nominee," White House spokeswoman Sarah
Sanders said in a statement.© Thomson Reuters 2018(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff
and is published from a syndicated feed.)
