In conversations with a host of conservative legal experts at this week’s Federalist Society convention in Washington, what emerged was a striking consensus of a two-horse race to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. According to these sources — many of whom have had discussions with President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team and therefore requested anonymity — it will come down to either Diane Sykes or William “Bill” Pryor.
Both are federal appellate judges: Sykes, a Wisconsinite, serves on the Seventh Circuit Court, while Pryor, an Alabama native, serves on the Eleventh Circuit Court. Both were appointed by former President George W. Bush. And both are viewed by conservatives as strict originalists who carry no risk of a David Souter-like transformation once appointed to the high court.
It’s no coincidence that these are the two jurists Trump mentioned by name during a February primary debate in South Carolina. “We could have a Diane Sykes or you could have a Bill Pryor,” Trump said when asked about making Supreme Court appointments. “We have some fantastic people.”
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