Donald Trump wants Senate GOP to confirm his Supreme Court nominee ahead of the Nov. election, but the Senate Republican leaders continue to remain noncommittal. This hasn't stopped the president from meeting with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who sources claim is the potential frontrunner to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.
The news coincides with speculations that surfaced after Ginsburg's death. Despite releasing a lengthy list of possible nominees recently, Trump seems to have narrowed those down over the weekend when he revealed he wanted a woman to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he had narrowed his choices down to just five potential nominees, and specifically opened up about nominating Cuban-American Barbara Lagoa, who serves on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, responding, "I may. She is highly thought of."
He went on to say that a lot of people have been calling him, implying she has a lot of support. Trump said he does not know Lagoa but has heard she is outstanding.
Trump told Fox & Friends that he plans to wait until service for the late justice came to an end, adding that would either be on Friday or Saturday, and they want to pay respect. He suggested they will have services either of Thursday or Friday, with all due respect for Justice Ginsburg, they will wait for services to be over, Trump explained.
Barrett is a judge with the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, is a conservative, pro-life Roman Catholic who clerked for late Justice Antonin Scalia after graduating from law school. She is one of the few judges who were under consideration for former Justice Anthony Kennedy's spot two years ago.
That vacancy was filled by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, with Barrett's remaining interest of conservative activists, who paid special focus to her position on abortion. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif recently said that her faith might interfere with her job as a jurist, noting that whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma.
Feinstein explained that the laws of religion are completely different. She went on to point out that Barrett reads her speeches, meaning, dogma lives loudly within her, and that's a concern, Feinstein said during a 2017 hearing.
Barrett responded saying it is inappropriate for a judge to impose personal convictions, regardless of where they arise from, faith or anywhere else, on the law.