Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Court on Wednesday. Now, major news outlets are reporting that Indian American Judge Amul Thapar is on a short-list of potential nominees.
President Trump will be choosing a nominee from a list of twenty-five names that were compiled during his campaign and released in November. The New York Times reported that Judge Thapar and 6 other names are being considered among the front-runners CNN called Judge Thapar the “McConnell favorite” saying that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “handpicked” Thapar to be the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
The Federal Judicial Center says on their website that Thapar received a Bachelor’s of Science from Boston College and attended UC Berkeley Law School. According to CNN, Thapar was nominated and confirmed to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. Thapar is the first South Asian judge to serve on a federal court.
In addition to discussing his judicial experience, reporters have begun to investigate Thapar’s rulings and political views. Heavy.com recently ran an article on their website titled “Amul Thapar’s Political Views: Five Fast Facts You Need to Know.” The article described Thapar as being “dismissive of sexual harassment suits” and tough on “drug-related crime.” The article also noted that Thapar believed in a literal and “strict textual” interpretation of the Constitution.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Judge Thapar is one of three minorities on President Trump’s list of 25 potential nominees. If he is nominated and confirmed to the court, Judge Thapar will be the first Asian American Supreme Court justice.
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