Several judges are already being mentioned as potential U.S. Supreme Court justices in the new Trump administration.
Two of the most conservative Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, may face calls to step down to allow younger conservative judges to take over during the second Trump presidency.
“Thomas is 76 and Alito is 74,” New York University law professor Stephen Gillers told Newsweek. “If Trump wins and Republicans control the Senate, there will be great pressure on Thomas and Alito to retire in the next two years so they can be replaced with nominees in their 40s, who can serve for 30-40 more years.”
In September, New York University law professor Stephen Choi and University of Virginia law professor Mitu Gulati released an in-depth study into the productivity and influence of federal judges. Trump appointees took nine out of the top 10 spots for productivity.
“Among those mentioned in [media] discussions of possible names for a Trump’s short list, three come up frequently: Lawrence VanDyke, James Ho and Stuart Kyle Duncan,” they noted.
Here is a profile of the three potential Supreme Court judges: