Update: Trump announced that he will nominate Judge Neil Gorsuch for the position.
Original post: President Donald Trump is planning to announce his nominee to fill the vacant seat of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at 8 pm Eastern Tuesday. You can watch a live stream above.
Multiple media outlets have reported that Trump has narrowed his options to just two: Judge Neil Gorsuch, age 49, of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Thomas Hardiman, age 51, of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Both were appointed to their current positions by President George W. Bush.
Both Gorsuch and Hardiman were on the list of 21 names Trump said he would choose from during the campaign, and either choice would be expected to be greeted with applause from conservatives.
Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind recently wrote about both judges’ backgrounds. They argued that Gorsuch is “more outspoken and forthright in his positions than your typical Supreme Court aspirant,” since he wrote “a full book on assisted suicide and euthanasia” that “came down decisively against” the practices.
Hardiman, meanwhile, “has consistently sided with law enforcement against defendants and inmates.” We’ll find out which one Trump picked soon enough.
