President Donald Trump is moving quickly to announce a replacement for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement this week.
Trump told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One that he has narrowed his candidate pool down to four individuals, but declined to name them. Trump told reporters that he would make a decision this weekend and make a formal announcement Monday at 9 p.m. EDT.
Looking forward to announcing my final decision on the United States Supreme Court Justice at 9:00pmE tomorrow night at the @WhiteHouse. An exceptional person will be chosen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2018
Trump on SCOTUS picks per pool report from front cabin briefing on AF1 pic.twitter.com/g1vINpslPn
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 5, 2018
Trump told reporters last week that he plans to announce his pick for the high court on July 9, according to news reports.
BREAKING: Trump says he plans to announce Supreme Court choice on July 9, says he's considering 2 women.
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 29, 2018
The president also told reporters he's considering two women and plans to interview several potential candidates for the job this weekend, The Associated Press reported.
The president on Wednesday, the day Kennedy, 81, announced his retirement, said that he'll draw from a list of 25 candidates that he used to nominate Justice Neil Gorsuch last year.
Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire from US Supreme Court - President Trump's list of nominees at https://t.co/HywpNaa4du pic.twitter.com/owAmkNjIYT
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 27, 2018
Kennedy was appointed to the nation's highest court by President Ronald Reagan in 1987.
>> From Jamie Dupree: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire
"It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 of those years on the Supreme Court," Kennedy said in a statement.
In announcing his retirement Wednesday, he also said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Kennedy is the longest-serving justice currently on the court.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also announced his intention Wednesday to move quickly in replacing Kennedy, saying that lawmakers will vote this fall before the mid-term elections to approve of Kennedy's replacement.
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/KQLUNZWDCVAXNJE4P6HNOO26GQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/IPIXRAQD4KXZGRHJ52HJAS7CAE.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/R6RG2PCB2ZHJ3L3E6UDSUL2Z5U.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/5HKQRAHDV5C3BNCXS4LL4BIRHQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/MBUED6EISFAQTPZSAEOQ2WO5MQ.jpeg)