Place nomination expected between Friday and Saturday... Possibility on next Monday
Two female candidates likely... One already completed interview
Nomination expected to consider advantage in presidential vote
Mackonel says "No confirmation issue as president and Senate majority party are the same"
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that he will appoint a successor to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, by this weekend.
Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban-American female judge of the 11th Federal Circuit Court, considered as a successor to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg [Image source=Yonhap News]
While some speculate that the nomination could be delayed until next Monday, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee is becoming a foregone conclusion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that he intends to hold a confirmation vote within this year, signaling a swift process.
On the 21st (local time), President Trump appeared on Fox News and announced that he would reveal Ginsburg's successor on the 25th or 26th. He indicated that Saturday (the 25th) is the most likely date. He also disclosed that the nominee will be a woman and that there are five candidates under consideration. However, he did not specify who the frontrunner is.
President Trump and the Republicans plan to accelerate the confirmation process once the nominee is decided. Speaking to reporters that day, Trump emphasized that the Senate has enough time to confirm the nominee and said, "The confirmation must happen before the presidential election."
Senate Majority Leader McConnell, who will lead the confirmation vote, also stated, "Since the president and the Senate majority are from the same party now, unlike in 2016, we can confirm the Supreme Court nominee." This was a rebuttal to Democrats' claims that he blocked the confirmation of a progressive nominee appointed by then-President Barack Obama after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. However, McConnell said it is "uncertain" whether the appointment will be made before the presidential election, as Trump mentioned.
At the same time, efforts to prevent internal defections are underway, with Senators Charles Grassley and Cory Gardner stating that they would vote in favor if the nominee is qualified.
President Trump has also begun meeting with potential Supreme Court nominees. He informed reporters that he has scheduled meetings with Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Both are strong candidates. According to ABC News, Judge Barrett already met with the White House that day, and Judge Lagoa is expected to meet with President Trump when he visits Florida for a campaign event this week.
Judge Barrett, a mother of seven and an anti-abortion advocate, was also considered for the Supreme Court in 2018. Attention is focused on Judge Lagoa. Her Cuban heritage and Florida roots are attractive to President Trump. Florida is a key battleground state that could determine the outcome of this presidential election. If Lagoa is nominated to the Supreme Court, it could work in Trump's favor in the electoral landscape. Lagoa's strong support from both Republicans and Democrats is also an advantage.
Kim Dong-seok, a U.S. political expert and head of the Korean American Voter Coalition, predicted, "Since Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, often decides the presidential election by a margin of 1 to 2 percentage points, President Trump is likely considering the card of appointing Lagoa, a Cuban-American Florida resident, to the Supreme Court."
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