WASHINGTON – Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to soon release a list of seven to 10 people whom he would nominate for the U.S. Supreme Court if he becomes president, pledging to only pick from those names.
“We’re going to have a conservative, very good group of judges,” Trump said during a news conference at his soon-to-open hotel in Washington on Monday afternoon. “I’m going to submit a list of justices, potential justices of the United States Supreme Court that I will appoint, from the list — I won’t go beyond that list. I’m going to let people know, because some people say: Oh, maybe I’ll appoint a liberal judge. I’m not appointing a liberal judge.”
The promised list is aimed at calming concerns from conservatives who are worried that if elected president, Trump would appoint justices who are not conservative enough, especially on issues like abortion. Trump said he has received help in compiling the list from the Heritage Foundation and has “already shown it to a lot of people.” He said the list will have “between seven and 10 judges” and could be released within the next week.
Trump said there will be some litmus tests to get a spot on his list — for example, he only wants justices who are “pro-life” — but he was vague on the details.
“We’re going to look at intellect, very important, like we want very, very smart people,” Trump said. “We want conservatives on the Supreme Court.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Jenna Johnson
