BREAKING: Justice Anthony Kennedy Announces His Retirement

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has released a statement announcing his retirement from the Court effective July 31:

Justice Kennedy retires pic.twitter.com/GRXyBBA6P9

— Adam Liptak (@adamliptak) June 27, 2018

Kennedy’s retirement gives President Trump the opportunity to appoint yet another conservative Justice to the highest court in the land. Trump’s first Supreme Court pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed in April of 2017 by a GOP-led Senate.

President Trump reportedly already has a list of 25 possible candidates for the next Supreme Court justice. High on that list are Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, and William Pryor of Alabama. Both men were seriously considered for the seat that Gorsuch was appointed to. Judge Brett Kavanaugh, of the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. is also under consideration.

Whoever President Trump ultimately chooses to fill Kennedy’s vacancy I’m sure Republicans and Democrats are both going to be willing to come together to get the job of confirming the next SCOTUS pick done.

We should follow the #MerrickGarland precedent and let the next elected President select Justice Kennedy’s #SCOTUS replacement.

I’m sure @SenateMajLdr McConnell 🐢 would agree. #KennedyRetirement

— Joe In Memphis 🌊 (@MEMLiberal) June 27, 2018

Oh…

Looks like we’re about to see a chorus of screams from the Left not felt since that fateful November evening nearly two years ago.

I look forward to it.

UPDATE: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sets a timetable:

MCCONNELL: “We will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this fall.”

— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) June 27, 2018

McConnell is going to want to get this done quickly, before the midterms. Democrats are going to try to use Kennedy’s successor as an issue to gin up their base. They’ll bill it as the last ditch effort to stop a runaway, traitorous Russian puppet president from tearing down the last of Obama’s legacy and destroying everything the Left has worked to build. The fight over Kennedy’s successor has the potential to turn what should be an easy win for the GOP in November into a knock-down, drag out fight.

There’s also the possibility that this might energize the Democrat base to the point where it costs the GOP enough seats in the midterms to lose the advantage in the House, the Senate, or both. If that happens there will be zero chance of the GOP getting another SCOTUS pick in Trump’s first term. Democrats will stonewall to the point where the seat stays vacant until they regain control of the White House.

McConnell will want to avoid that at all costs.

Update: Trump reveals where his next pick will come from.

BREAKING: Trump says next Supreme Court justice pick will come from previously released list of 25 candidates.

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 27, 2018

Update: Don Jr. reveals who he would like to see get the nomination…

This would be pretty awesome😂😂😂 https://t.co/TrM714IMAR

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 27, 2018

UPDATE: Want to know what absolute despair and hopelessness sounds like?

How it sounded inside a DNC committee meeting the moment Justice Kennedy’s retirement was announced pic.twitter.com/6S9uO2JGzQ

— David Siders (@davidsiders) June 27, 2018

UPDATE: One of the names Trump is reportedly considering has been announced:

Texas judge Don Willett is back under consideration to be Trump’s next Supreme Court pick https://t.co/8RzbkNcGit

— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) June 27, 2018