New Resources Available Online on Latest Trump SCOTUS Picks
WASHINGTON, DC September 23 – Today Donald Trump’s campaign released the names of more individuals he would consider as potential Supreme Court nominees, if he were elected President. Alliance for Justice Action Campaign is compiling research on the records of these individuals to supplement our earlier report on judges Trump named as possible Supreme Court choices this spring. Click here for the new resources, which we will be supplementing with additional information in the coming days.
The individuals whose biographies and records you will find on our website are:
Neil M. Gorsuch, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Neil Gorsuch was appointed by George W. Bush to the Tenth Circuit in 2006 at the age of 38. On the Tenth Circuit, Gorsuch joined Judge Tymkovich’s opinion in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, holding that for-profit corporations are persons exercising religion for purposes of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and allowing them to assert religious objections to laws that protect their employees’ legal rights.
Timothy M. Tymkovich, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Timothy Tymkovich was nominated by President Bush to a seat on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals from Colorado, and was confirmed by the Senate in a 58-41 vote on April 1, 2003.
Tymkovich’s notable opinions on the Tenth Circuit include Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, holding that for-profit corporations are persons exercising religion freedom for purposes of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and allowing them to assert religious objections to laws that protect their employees’ legal rights.
Robert Young, Supreme Court of Michigan
Robert Young was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by former Republican Governor John Engler in 1999. He was elected and re-elected to eight-year terms on the court in 2002 and 2010, respectively. He was voted chief justice by his colleagues in January 2011. Before serving on the Michigan Supreme Court, Young spent 25 years in private practice at Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman and three years as general counsel at AAA Michigan.
Margaret A. Ryan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Margaret Ryan was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces by President George W. Bush in 2006. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ryan graduated from Knox College in 1985. Ryan was an active duty marine from 1988 to 1992, and was in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. In 1992, she enrolled at Notre Dame Law School, and she graduated three years later with a J.D. summa cum laude.
Edward M. Mansfield, Iowa Supreme Court
Edward Mansfield was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court by Governor Terry Branstad in 2011. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Following his graduation from law school, he clerked for Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After his clerkship, Mansfield worked in private practice for over 20 years before being appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 2009.
Keith R. Blackwell, Supreme Court of Georgia
Keith Blackwell was appointed by Republican Governor Nathan Deal to the Georgia Supreme Court in 2012. He subsequently won election to a full term on the court in 2014. Blackwell received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Georgia. Immediately after law school, he clerked for Judge J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Blackwell then practiced law at Alston & Bird LLP before serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Cobb County.
Charles Canady, Supreme Court of Florida
Charles Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Charlie Crist in 2008. He grew up in Florida before earning his B.A. from Haverford College and his J.D. from Yale University. Following his graduation from law school, Canady entered private practice for the law firm Holland & Knight, where he worked from 1979 until 1982 before moving on to the firm Lane, Trohn, et al from 1983-1992. Canady also entered politics during this period and served in the Florida House of Representatives as a Republican from 1984-1990.
Amul Thapar, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Amul Thapar was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007 to serve as District Court judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Born in Detroit, Thapar earned his B.S. from Boston College and his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He clerked for Judge S. Arthur Spiegel of the Southern District of Ohio and Judge Nathaniel Jones of the 6th Circuit.
Federico Moreno, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Federico Moreno was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Southern Florida by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Moreno moved to the United States at the age of 12. He attended Notre Dame University for his undergraduate degree and then earned his J.D. at the University of Miami Law School in 1978. After a year in private practice, Moreno joined the federal public defender’s office for three years, before reentering the private sector.
