Amy Coney Barrett, L, and Barbara Lagoa
With confirmation all but guaranteed, who are the frontrunners for the nomination?
First up is the conventional wisdom choice, Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett, 48, is a favorite of social conservatives. She currently holds a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, a position she was appointed to in 2017. She clerked for former Justice Antonin Scalia, something that President Trump noted in previous comments about her.
Barrett is a 1997 graduate of the Notre Dame law school, where she still teaches constitutional law. She is considered an originalist, and a protege of Antonin Scalia.
Next up is Barbara Lagoa, 52, a Cuban-American from Florida. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Supreme Court of Florida in 2019 — she was the first Cuban-American woman to serve on the court, and is bilingual — before Trump nominated her to the Eleventh Circuit in September a year ago. She was confirmed in December. She served in private practice and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney before being appointed to Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal by then-Governor Jeb Bush.
Lagoa is a 1992 graduate of Columbia Law School, where she was the associate editor of the law review. Lagoa’s legal bona fides hold some political appeal for Trump as the election bears down — a woman of Hispanic heritage from Florida. Lagoa’s parents fled Cuba in 1966.
Related: SCOTUS Update
Before President Trump said he’d be nominating a woman, Amul Thapar, 51, was considered to be on the shortlist. He’s currently a judge on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was elevated to that seat by Trump in 2017.