Donald Trump Unveils List of Potential Picks to Replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court

THE DONALD’S SCOTUS PICKS ARE IN …

Yesterday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump released his much anticipated list of individuals that he would nominate to replace the dearly departed Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, if Trump was to be elected president of the United States. The names on the list are as follows: Steven Colloton, Allison Eid, Raymond Gruender, Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge, Thomas Lee, Joan Larsen, William Pryor, David Stras, Diane Sykes, Don Willett. Hmm, absent from the list was Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump needed to put forth this list to ease the minds of many on the right as to what kind of justice he would nominate for such an important appointment for years to come.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday released a list of 11 potential picks to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court, a mix of federal and state judges that appeared tailored to win over conservatives still skeptical of his candidacy.

The decision to release such a list is highly unusual for a presidential candidate, and comes as Trump is working to unite a Republican Party fractured by his candidacy and assuage still-skeptical establishment Republicans who question his ability to win a general election.

“I have a lot of people that are conservative that really like me, love everything I stand for, but they really would like to know my view,” Trump said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News, “because perhaps outside of the defense of our country, perhaps the single most important thing the next president is going to have to do is pick Supreme Court justices.”

The list, which featured several prominent names floated repeatedly on conservative wish lists to replace Scalia, won immediate praise from those Trump is trying to win over.

“This list ought to be encouraging to anyone who prioritizes the rule of law, and I congratulate Mr. Trump on making a very significant policy statement about his desire to prioritize the future of the Supreme Court,” said Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network, a group leading the opposition to President Barack’s Obama’s pick to replace Scalia, Merrick Garland.

Trump first said in March that he planned to release a list of potential justices in an effort to ease concerns about his conservative credentials, which had come under attack in the heated Republican primary. Among his critics was Cruz, who ran an ad saying Trump could not be trusted with a Supreme Court nomination.

Grassley Impressed with Trump’s List of Potential Supreme Court Picks.

“Mr. Trump has laid out an impressive list of highly qualified jurists, including Judge Colloton from Iowa, who understand and respect the fundamental principle that the role of the courts is limited and subject to the Constitution and the rule of law,” Grassley released in a statement. “Understanding the types of judges a presidential nominee would select for the Supreme Court is an important step in this debate so the American people can have a voice in the direction of the Supreme Court for the next generation.”