Trump turns Supreme Court nomination into a reality TV final by ordering final two to come to Washington – and announcing the ‘winner’ in primetime
Top contenders for open Supreme Court seat are appeals court judges Thomas Hardiman and Neil Gorsuch
Both are coming to Washington, D.C., today and President Donald Trump will announce his choice tonight at 8pm
The high court has had a vacancy since Justice Antonin Scalia died last February
Senate Democrats are already committed to trying to block the nominee
Hot-button issues including gun control and abortion will likely turn the nominee’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into a circus on C-SPAN
By Nikki Schwab, U.S. Political Reporter
DailyMail.com
31 January 2017
Adding some reality show host flare to the announcement of his first Supreme Court pick, President Donald Trump is bringing the two finalists to Washington, D.C., today.
CNN reported that 49-year-old Judge Neil Gorsuch, considered the frontrunner, is already in D.C., as Trump will announce his choice during primetime tonight.
But 51-year-old Judge Thomas Hardiman from Pittsburgh is also en route.
Trump’s aim is to tilt the bench to conservatives on abortion, gun control and other hot-button issues and fill the vacancy left by conservative stalwart, Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February 2016.
Currently the bench consists of four conservatives and four liberals.
Gorsuch, an appellate court judge, is a more traditional pick and is considered an ideological match to Scalia. He’s also taken a broad view on religious freedom, which conservatives have championed in recent years.
Hardiman, also an appellate court judge, is a defender of gun rights, police powers and the rights of local governments to display the Ten Commandments.
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