Trump is apparently ready to replace Supreme Court Justice Kennedy 'immediately'

Anthony Kennedy, Neil Gorsuch and President Trump.
(Image credit: Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

The White House will waste no time in filling the Supreme Court seat left open by Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement.

President Trump wants to work on nominating and confirming a new justice "immediately," The Associated Press reported Wednesday, following Kennedy's announcement.

The president will choose a new judge from the list of potential nominees that the White House compiled last year, Trump told reporters. That list includes Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who told CNN that he "would not say no" to a Supreme Court nomination. Other candidates up for consideration include Justice Edward Mansfield of the Iowa Supreme Court and Patrick Wyrick, a judge for the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

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While the White House has signaled that Trump is eager to get a new justice on the nation's highest bench, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that the Senate "will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy's successor this fall."

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.