President Trump's forthcoming nomination to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will be announced Monday, July 9, and The Washington Post reports the president will take a fairly conventional route to the selection. While Trump often likes to buck tradition, his first SCOTUS pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, was in many ways a safe choice and is reportedly the model for this selection too.
White House advisers told the Post Trump has indicated he values academic credentials including a degree from a top Ivy, independent thinking ("not weak"), and constitutional originalism — plus, since it's Trump, "personal chemistry, central-casting looks, and relatable life stories."
"We have a pick to come up," Trump himself said at a recent speech in Fargo. "We have to pick a great one. We have to pick one that's going to be there for 40 years, 45 years. We need intellect. We need so many things to go. You know, there's so many elements go into the making of a great justice of the Supreme Court. You've got to hit every one of them."
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