With the passing of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the race is well and truly on to fill the vacancy. US President Donald Trump, with barely a month to go before the general elections, has said he will announce his nominee by September 26. Those under close consideration for the post include three women who are federal judges: Amy Coney Barrett, beloved among conservatives and an early favourite; Barbara Lagoa, who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida; and Allison Jones Rushing.
At least one man, appeals court Judge Amul Thapar, is also under consideration. A Republican ally from Kentucky, he has been screened by Trump's team for past openings and he would be the first Indian-American on the court.
Who is Amul Thapar?
Considered a conservative, Thapar, 49, had served as a federal prosecutor before then president George W. Bush appointed him a judge of the federal court for eastern Kentucky in 2007. Thapar has the backing of Mitch McConnell, the influential Senate majority Leader from Kentucky.
He is the second Indian-American judge to be a leading contender for the Supreme Court, showing the community's reach across both parties and its influence. If elected, he will be the first.
His father, Raj Thapar, told publication Courier Journal that his son is so conservative that he "nearly wouldn't speak to me after I voted for Barack Obama". Thapar was born in Detroit and his family wanted him to become a doctor, but he chose law instead, the newspaper said.
Raj Thapar told the newspaper that his son's only dream was to become a Supreme Court Justice. Amul's maternal grandfather had impressed on him how Mahatma Gandhi had defeated the British using non-violence, Raj Thapar told the newspaper. According his father, Amul had converted to Catholicism when he married Kim Schulte, a real estate agent, the publication reported.
USA Today reported that Thapar is a darling of the Federalist Society, the conservative intellectual group that believes the US constitution should be interpreted as it was written. But, progressive groups like Demand Justice had launched attack ads denouncing Thapar as a “far-right judge” and warning he would “sell our government to the highest bidder”.
Who are some other contenders to the post?
Amy Coney Barrett: Barrett, 48, is widely considered to be the front-runner. She was previously considered as a finalist for Trump's second nomination to the high court, which eventually went to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. A devout Catholic mother of seven, she is a favourite of religious conservatives and considered a strong opponent of abortion. During her Senate confirmation hearing for the appeals court in 2017, Democrats pressed Barrett on whether her strong religious views would impact her potential rulings on abortion and other hot-button social issues.
Barbara Lagoa: Lagoa, 52, is a Cuban American judge from Florida who was nominated by Trump to serve on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019. Her name was first added to the White House's list of potential high court contenders last month. Raised in the heavily Latino Miami suburb of Hialeah, Lagoa is the daughter of Cuban exiles who fled the communist regime of Fidel Castro. She speaks fluent Spanish and has a solidly conservative judicial record. Lagoa's potential nomination is being touted as a way for Trump to shore up flagging support in a crucial battleground state where recent polls have shown Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a narrow lead.
Allison Jones Rushing: Rushing, 38, was confirmed just 18 months ago to the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. If elevated to the Supreme Court, she would be the youngest justice confirmed since the early 1800s. She is a native of Hendersonville, North Carolina. Her potential selection is being championed within the White House by chief of staff Mark Meadows, who also hails from the mountains of the Tarheel State. Rushing graduated from Wake Forest University before attending Duke University, where she earned her law degree in 2007.
-Inputs from agencies
