Trump Reveals List Of 11 Supreme Court Picks To Replace Antonin Scalia
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has released a list of 11 potential Supreme Court justices he plans to vet to fill the seat of late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Trump's picks include Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado and Raymond Gruender of Missouri.
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Also on the list are: Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, William Pryor of Alabama, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas.
Trump said in March he planned to release the list of potential nominees to ease concerns about his conservative credentials in the Republican primary.
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He said then the list would include judges "that everybody respects, likes and totally admires'' and "great conservative judges, great intellects, the people that you want.''
Scalia was found dead in his bed on Feb. 13 at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, not far from the Mexico border, where he had gone on a hunting trip. Scalia suffered from coronary artery disease, obesity and diabetes, among other ailments that probably contributed to the justice's sudden death, according to a letter from the Supreme Court's doctor.
"Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice," Trump said in a statement Thursday. "His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans' most cherished freedoms."
Following Scalia's death, President Barack Obama nominated federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
Senate Republicans have insisted that they won't hold hearings or a confirmation vote on Obama's pick until after the 2016 election.
As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, Trump also met with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Wednesday. Trump released the list of potential court nominees shortly before the meeting.
He also made news by telling Reuters that he would be open to talking with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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