{"id":2622706,"date":"2026-07-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-already-has-a-short-list-in-case-of-a-supreme-court-vacancy\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T08:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:02:59","slug":"trump-already-has-a-short-list-in-case-of-a-supreme-court-vacancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-already-has-a-short-list-in-case-of-a-supreme-court-vacancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump already has a short list in case of a Supreme Court vacancy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-already-has-a-short-list-in-case-of-a-supreme-court-vacancy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2622706&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President donald Trump is eyeing multiple candidates to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy, although teh White House hasn&#8217;t yet narrowed down its shortlist. Despite a brief,retracted report about Justice Samuel Alito\u2019s retirement,speculation persists about who Trump might nominate next,especially considering possible retirements after the 2026 midterms and shifts in Senate control. Former and current officials indicate the White House has an existing list of vetted potential nominees, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >primarily appeals court judges<\/a>, and that filling a Supreme Court vacancy remains a manageable process for the management. Trump has expressed readiness to nominate qualified judges if vacancies arise and has highlighted the importance of such nominations as a significant achievement for senators. The confirmation process could be elaborate by Senate Republicans who may oppose certain nominees, especially with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnson-not-seeking-3rd-term-in-2022-is-probably-my-preference\/\" title=\"Johnson: Not seeking 3rd term in 2022 is probably my preference\">upcoming midterm elections<\/a> perhaps influencing the Supreme Court&#8217;s future composition. The issue of Supreme Court vacancies is also becoming a political wedge ahead of the midterms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4629173\/trumpworld-buyers-remorse-amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> has his eyes on multiple candidates to fill a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4630433\/trump-rnc-prepared-flood-midterms-cash-supreme-court-win\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> vacancy, but White House staff aren\u2019t yet rushing to narrow down the short list.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, NPR <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4630543\/npr-retracts-story-announcing-alito-retirement-supreme-court\/\">ran a story<\/a> announcing the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, just minutes after the court handed down its final decisions of the term. The story was retracted less than 15 minutes after publication, but it still ignited Beltway conversations about who Trump would nominate next to the bench, and whether the White House feared a retirement coming after the 2026 midterm elections and a potential shift in Senate control.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4631686\/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-conservative-justices\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court birthright citizenship decision renews conservative feud with GOP-appointed justices<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4630819\/clarence-thomas-shreds-ruling-devalues-citizenship\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Clarence Thomas shreds ruling that \u2018devalues\u2019 citizenship in Supreme Court dissent<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4631234\/notre-dame-amy-coney-barrett-college-republicans-birthright-citizenship\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Notre Dame GOP group calls Amy Coney Barrett \u2018absolute disgrace\u2019 after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/birthright-citizenship-ruling-imperils-national-security-mike-johnson\/\" title=\"Birthright citizenship ruling imperils national security: Mike Johnson\">birthright citizenship vote<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, multiple current and former Trump administration officials told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the White House itself wasn\u2019t worried about filling a bench vacancy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a list that exists,\u201d one former senior Trump White House official said Wednesday. \u201cI don\u2019t know how active the list is being whittled down or whatever, but you can confidently report there\u2019s a list.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of these people who would be picked are already people who, in a sense, are vetted, right?\u201d that person added, suggesting Trump had learned from the three Supreme Court nominees he made during his first term. \u201cMost are appeals court-type people, so it\u2019s not like you\u2019re starting fresh on a bet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4632140\/trump-defends-his-more-than-1-billion-in-crypto-gains\/\">Trump<\/a> confidants told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>the issue wasn\u2019t currently a top priority for the White House and wasn\u2019t routinely raised in conversations with staff.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople don\u2019t really talk about it,\u201d the second former Trump White House official explained. \u201cYou don\u2019t really bring up the SCOTUS thing, so I don\u2019t really know how intensive a process it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4629173\/trumpworld-buyers-remorse-amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court\/\"><strong>TRUMPWORLD \u2018OBVIOUSLY\u2019 FEELING BUYER\u2019S REMORSE OVER AMY CONEY BARRETT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4632767\/trump-wont-renew-trade-agreement-with-canada-and-mexico\/\">Trump<\/a> administration official added that, despite the prospect of the Senate flipping in November, they had no worries about confirming a potential nominee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not concerned. Senators may have differences on any number of legislative issues, but a Supreme Court nomination is a different category altogether,\u201d that person explained. \u201cThat\u2019s the Senate\u2019s Super Bowl. It\u2019s one of the defining moments of a senator\u2019s career, and I have every confidence Republicans understand the importance of confirming a qualified constitutionalist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House officials declined to answer questions about who the president was considering to nominate to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile we wouldn\u2019t speculate on any potential judicial vacancies at any level, the president is always prepared to nominate highly qualified judges who will uphold the Constitution and the rule of law,\u201d a White House official told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump himself addressed the topic Tuesday night in an interview with <em>Breitbart<\/em>, saying he would be prepared to replace Alito or any other justice who might retire during his term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you listen to people, there are three potential vacancies for various reasons, so I\u2019m certainly prepared,\u201d he said in the interview. \u201cThere are a lot of great people out there who would like to have that position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump heaped praise on Alito, saying he\u2019s the justice\u2019s \u201csingle biggest fan,\u201d but conceded he wasn\u2019t sure if he was happy or sad that the retirement story turned out to be \u201ctotally fake news.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was in one way privileged to be able to pick somebody that would be \u2014 I\u2019d love to pick a younger version of him, but there is no younger version of him,\u201d Trump said, noting Alito\u2019s replacement would likely be on the court for \u201c40 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s nobody that is going to be able to do what he does and do it so well. So in one way I was happy, in one way it was actually sad,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Trump does have a number of potential Republican enemies in the Senate who, if a justice does retire before the midterm elections, could make a quick confirmation incredibly difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4632343\/senate-intelligence-jay-clayton-hearing-july-pulte\/\"><strong>JAY CLAYTON CONFIRMATION HEARING RESCHEDULED FOR MID-JULY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president successfully primaried Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) during the 2026 election cycle, and his consistent attacks led Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) not to seek reelection this cycle. Both Cornyn and Tillis serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and should Democrats vote as a bloc against a potential Supreme Court nominee, the president would need every Republican senator, plus Vice President JD Vance\u2019s tiebreaker, to successfully confirm someone to the bench.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, the Supreme Court could become a wedge issue before November\u2019s midterm elections, with Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner using Sen. Susan Collins\u2019s (R-ME) votes for Justice Brett Kavanaugh against her in the majority make-or-break Senate race.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump considers multiple SCOTUS picks; White House slow to narrow list<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3007,"featured_media":2622707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/trump-scotus-short-list.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4151,32275,3634,82086],"class_list":["post-2622706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-judiciary","tag-supreme-court","tag-trump","tag-vacancy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/trump-scotus-short-list.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2622706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3007"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2622706"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2622706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2622710,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2622706\/revisions\/2622710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2622707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2622706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2622706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2622706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}