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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Supreme court nomination live: Trump brings finalists to DC for announcement | Supreme court nomination live: Trump brings finalists to DC for announcement |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.37am GMT | |
| 00:37 | |
| If Trump was hoping for wall-to-wall reality TV-style coverage of this announcement – which is usually a more solemn, dignified affair – he’s getting it. US major broadcast networks are expected to cover live the unveiling of his supreme court pick. | |
| Getting ready to deliver a VERY IMPORTANT DECISION! 8:00 P.M. | |
| But it’s possible that we won’t see an Apprentice-style final face-off, with unconfirmed reports now emerging that only one contender (presumably the successful one) has made it to the White House: | |
| SCOOP: "Only 1 of the 2" SCOTUS finalists made it to DC today, per WH official. Means *no "Apprentice"-style showdown. @HallieJackson | |
| 12.29am GMT | |
| 00:29 | |
| What do we know about Thomas Hardiman? | |
| Tom McCarthy | |
| Hardiman, 51, of Pennsylvania, sits on the third circuit court of appeals, to which he was appointed by Bush in 2007. A former district court judge, Hardiman graduated from Georgetown law school in Washington. If nominated and confirmed, he would be the only supreme court justice without an Ivy League law degree. | |
| He has advanced conservative interpretations, particularly in “law and order” cases touching on issues such as sentencing guidelines, the death penalty, the right to film police and second amendment issues. | |
| In one case, Hardiman questioned whether the first amendment protected people who videotaped police during a traffic stop. | |
| “We conclude there was insufficient case law establishing a right to videotape police officers during a traffic stop to put a reasonably competent officer on ‘fair notice’ that seizing a camera or arresting an individual for videotaping police during the stop would violate the First Amendment,” Hardiman wrote. | |
| 12.22am GMT | |
| 00:22 | |
| What do we know about Neil Gorsuch? | |
| Megan Carpentier | |
| Gorsuch, 49, was appointed in 2006 by Bush to the 10th circuit court of appeals, in Denver, Colorado, and is a frequent member of Republican-leaning supreme court shortlists. He is the youngest entry on Trump’s reported shortlist. | |
| His only book, The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, was intended to bolster the case against its legalization; its publisher called it his central thesis “the idea that human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is always wrong”. In 2012, Michael Fragoso, a longtime anti-abortion advocate and current counsel to Arizona senator Jeff Flake, called Gorsuch and other young Bush-era judicial appointees “as good a college of judicial cardinals as the conservative and pro-life movements have ever seen”. | |
| Gorsuch has notably used his time on the federal bench to criticize the existing volume of federal regulation as potentially unconstitutional on a variety of grounds, a point he has made in at least one public speech as well. He is a graduate of Harvard law school. | |
| 12.14am GMT | |
| 00:14 | |
| What has Trump said about his process for picking a supreme court nominee? | |
| He promised his choice would be a “truly great” justice who is “pro-life”. | |
| Earlier this month he told told Republicans: | |
| I think in my mind I know who it is. I think you’re going to be very, very excited. | |
| By Sunday – amid ongoing protests against the travel ban on visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries and a block on refugees – he had apparently made up his mind: | |
| I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. (W.H.) | |
| 12.03am GMT | 12.03am GMT |
| 00:03 | 00:03 |
| Claire Phipps | Claire Phipps |
| President Donald Trump will shortly announce his pick for the supreme court vacancy created by the death of staunchly conservative justice Antonin Scalia in February last year. | President Donald Trump will shortly announce his pick for the supreme court vacancy created by the death of staunchly conservative justice Antonin Scalia in February last year. |
| Such nominations are rarely without controversy, of course: Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the same vacancy in March 2016, warning Republicans that any delays in confirming his appointment would cause a loss of faith in the supreme court, the justice system and democracy. Garland did not become a supreme court judge. | Such nominations are rarely without controversy, of course: Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the same vacancy in March 2016, warning Republicans that any delays in confirming his appointment would cause a loss of faith in the supreme court, the justice system and democracy. Garland did not become a supreme court judge. |
| But tonight’s announcement takes the circus to a new level: both presumed finalists – though let’s not assume there is no Trump joker card waiting to be played – have reportedly been summoned to the White House for a live broadcast announcement at 8pm ET, during which the president will tell one of the pair that he is hired. | |
| It is not clear whether Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman, judges in Colorado and Pennsylvania respectively, themselves know who is to be handed the prize. Perhaps they will find out with the rest of us – though leaked reports suggest Gorsuch is the frontrunner. | It is not clear whether Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman, judges in Colorado and Pennsylvania respectively, themselves know who is to be handed the prize. Perhaps they will find out with the rest of us – though leaked reports suggest Gorsuch is the frontrunner. |
| We’ll have everything here on the live blog as it unfolds. | We’ll have everything here on the live blog as it unfolds. |
| Updated | |
| at 12.12am GMT |