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If Trump Fills A Supreme Court Vacancy, Here Are Three Suggestions: (Cruz/Mike Lee/DeSantis)
AmericanThinker ^

Posted on 02/05/2026 7:17:03 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET

Republicans should be wise, not allowing conservative justices to linger on, only for them to pass away during a Democrat Presidential administration. Would we want a possible President Newsom or Shapiro to replace Thomas or Alito?

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: howaboutazot; howaboutnoooo; noneoftheabove; scotus

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Well known politicos. No DC circuit types. There's a reason for it. Issues: 1) Senators will be too embarrassed to raise hell when it's one of their own(Cruz/Lee). 2)Youth points to DeSantis-30 years on the court vs. 20. Cruz/Lee are in their 50's. 3)The toxic political environment would suggest we need someone who's a fighter-Lee is lower profile. The hearings will be contentious like that of Clarence Thomas. We need a skilled debater-it points to Cruz who would be a better majority leader.

My choice for the next young/skilled nominee? JD Vance. Youngest. A good Trump legacy pick. His positions are well known. Raising his 4 kids will be easier than dealing with a world crisis at any time. He could always run again 20-30 years down the road. Just remember 4 years as vp does not make him most qualified to stand up to Xi/Vlad. DeSantis would be a great vp to finish out the term-sets him up for '28.

So tell me-where am I wrong?

1 posted on 02/05/2026 7:17:03 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

In before the ignorant DeSantis haters.


2 posted on 02/05/2026 7:21:03 AM PST by V_TWIN (America....so great even the people that hate it won't leave)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Sitting senators may be too valuable to risk should a replacement election be done when the economy takes a hit. Why go for a brilliant mind who nobody knows and who the democrats can then make things up? It’s a dilemma. On the other hand it would be hilarious if Louisiana senator John Kennedy were to finish out the vp term and get the country laughing at the liberals.


3 posted on 02/05/2026 7:23:10 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Republicans can be as wise or as stupid as they want. Supreme Court appointments are for life and the decision is entirely in the hands of the individual justice.


4 posted on 02/05/2026 7:23:27 AM PST by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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To: V_TWIN

I don’t hate DeSantis. I just don’t like him, I think he has an unfortunate side to his nature and don’t think he’d do well as president.

I didn’t want Cruz as president, either; but I do think he would be good on the Court.


5 posted on 02/05/2026 7:24:20 AM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Vance’s evident skills are political. Cruz’ are legal.
If JD wins the Presidency, we get another pick.

Stop thinking as if this is our last chance.


6 posted on 02/05/2026 7:25:22 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: V_TWIN

(Cruz/Mike Lee/DeSantis)

S.C of V.P.

No. No and No.

Period.


7 posted on 02/05/2026 7:28:43 AM PST by MotorCityBuck (Keep the change, you are filthy animal !)
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To: Jamestown1630

You might not but there’s plenty right here on FR that hate him just because he had the audacity to run for POTUS against Trump.

Heaven forbid! SMH


8 posted on 02/05/2026 7:30:20 AM PST by V_TWIN (America....so great even the people that hate it won't leave)
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To: V_TWIN

DeSantis ran a bad campaign. Doesn’t mean he’d be a bad POTUS. W lost his debates to Gore an won anyway.

Clarence Thomas was appointed in ‘91 and it led to the Year of The Woman in ‘92. There is no ‘good’ time to appoint someone hoping the voters will forget. Women certainly don’t.

**Vance’s evident skills are political. Cruz’ are legal.**
You don’t need to be a scholar. Don’t even need to be a lawyer I do believe.


9 posted on 02/05/2026 7:30:20 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Most likely it’ll be someone most of us have never heard about.


10 posted on 02/05/2026 7:38:05 AM PST by The Louiswu (USA FIRST...USA FOREVER)
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To: All

I know it wouldn’t happen but I’d love to see Mark Levin on the Court.

His appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee would be legendary. He’d pull no punches either in his testimony or in his written opinions while on the Court.


11 posted on 02/05/2026 7:41:18 AM PST by MplsSteve
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To: DIRTYSECRET
JD Vance leads the polling for the GOP nomination as Trump's successor. Cruz is needed in the Senate and in Texas. DeSantis has baggage and n angular personality that the Democrats will use to ill effect.

Mike Lee is probably the safest pick. I am loathe though to shove Thomas or Alito into an early retirement. They are exceptional Justices. Along with Scalia, they have made originalist thinking a major influence in the Court's jurisprudence.

12 posted on 02/05/2026 7:44:33 AM PST by Rockingham
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To: DIRTYSECRET
environment would suggest we need someone who's a fighter-Lee is lower profile. The hearings will be contentious like that of Clarence Thomas.

Whoever the nominee is, during the hearings his answers should be Kentanji style:


13 posted on 02/05/2026 7:46:23 AM PST by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: V_TWIN

DeSantis is my governor. He has been great for Florida, but that does not mean he’d be a great POTUS. IMO, he doesn’t have the chops to take the blows that would come his way AND, Florida is not the country. People forget DeSantis barely squeaked by in his first gov campaign beating a relatively unknown Mayor of Tallahassee (it took Trump to get him over the finish line). Yes, he dominated in his second campaign, but largely benefitted from an electoral tsunami of changing voter demographics in FL, COVID fatigue, Trumpism and a weak (very) weak Democrat candidate (former Republican governor Charlie “the hug” Crist. It was a gimme. SOCTUS? Yes. POTUS? I don’t think so.


14 posted on 02/05/2026 7:46:37 AM PST by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man, a subject.")
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To: Carry_Okie

Yes


15 posted on 02/05/2026 7:58:25 AM PST by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

NOT Mike Lee.

Have you ever heard him discussing our rights under the second amendment?

I have, several times on Glenn Beck’s program and - IIRC - Mark Levin’s.

Mike Lee is a YUGE advocate for the erroneous, NON-constitutional belief that all rights have limits, that no right is absolute.

Our founders were learned men. Some estimates of their intellectual prowess puts their academic achievements at a 70th grade level (per AI analysis). The average American HS graduate is, today, functionally illiterate, innumerate, but still votes.

Mike Lee needs to review what words mean, especially “shall NOT be INFRINGED.”

In the language of the Constitution, that is as absolute a prohibition against ANY and ALL government laws regarding arms/guns as any, and every state through incorporation is bound by law to follow the same admonition.

Screw him.

Rant mode off.


16 posted on 02/05/2026 7:59:17 AM PST by normbal (normbal. Non-native Tennessean.)
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To: MplsSteve

lol an old boomer neocon?


17 posted on 02/05/2026 8:00:17 AM PST by Manuel OKelley
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To: DIRTYSECRET

I thought Cruz said no already.


18 posted on 02/05/2026 8:00:32 AM PST by ronniesgal ( so is it okay that I said that??? GO TRUMP GO!!!!)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Not sure why folks continually speculate on Supreme Court Justices retiring. They are relatively young as politicians etc. go. We probably have 20 members of congress older than Clarence Thomas. Four of them are younger then me and I am healthy and wise. Wealth not so much.

Clarence Thomas June 23, 1948 (age 77)

John Roberts January 27, 1955 (age 71)

Samuel Alito April 1, 1950 (age 75)

Sonia Sotomayor June 25, 1954 (age 71)

Elena Kagan April 28, 1960 (age 65)

Neil Gorsuch August 29, 1967 (age 58)

Brett Kavanaugh February 12, 1965 (age 60)

Amy Coney Barrett January 28, 1972 (age 54)

Ketanji Brown Jackson September 14, 1970 (age 55)

Also the notion of appointing politicians to the Supreme Court seems to have gone out of favor 65 years ago. Earl Warren was the last elected official on the court.

Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953, and as the 14th chief justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969.

His predecessor, Fred Vinson served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky from 1924 to 1928 and 1930 to 1938, as a federal appellate judge and Secretary of the Treasury.

Two others, Charles Evans Hughes and Frank Murphy were governors. George Sutherland was a congressman and 2 term senator.

Before him the major politician to be appointed was former President William Howard Taft in 1921, about eight years after he left the office. There have been 50 justices appointed since him.


19 posted on 02/05/2026 8:01:05 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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To: DIRTYSECRET
DeSantis as VP to Rubio would be my dream ticket. I agree with the assessment of Vance. He is just not up to the game right now. He is focused on GenZ voters and TPUSA, while pissing off Jews and many Christians. He cannot see the damage Carlson has done to him, but if he is looking at polling, he has to know he is falling fast.

I would not want Vance on SCOTUS; his comments have been questionable. I will suggest that some of the criticisms are not warranted, but his friendship with Carlson and his ties to Carlson's son have tied him to Carlson's apron strings. Doesn't help that Carlson's brother spews anti-Semitic stuff, and then Carlson. brings him on his show for a love fest. As a politician, Vance is immature. Normally, he would have 8 years to grow into the position and prepare for POTUS. He does not have that time. He cannot afford screwups anymore. You cannot ignore that Carlson has attacked Jews, Israel, and Evangelical Christians. Vance has defended Carlson, is tied to him, and is now viewed as supporting Carlson's positions. Vance is viewed with suspicion by Jews and many Christians. Of the ones you mentioned, Lee would be a better choice than Cruz. Personally, I would really rock the boat and nominate Nicki Minaj 🤣

20 posted on 02/05/2026 8:07:43 AM PST by OldGoatCPO (No Caitiff Choir of Angels will sing for me)
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