After Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement Tuesday, some are speculating that Sen. Mike Lee or his brother could be selected to fill Kennedy’s spot.
SALT LAKE CITY — After Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement Wednesday, speculation has resurfaced that Sen. Mike Lee could be a candidate to fill Kennedy’s spot.
In a statement issued to the media Wednesday, Lee, R-Utah, praised Kennedy for his service to the country and said, “I look forward to working with the president and my Senate colleagues to identify and confirm his replacement.”
Both the senator and his brother Thomas Lee — the associate chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court — are on President Donald Trump’s shortlist of 25 potential candidates for the position, which was published on the White House’s website in November.
Trump has said he will choose someone from that list to fill Kennedy’s position.
Mike Lee is the only person named on the list who does not currently serve on a state or federal court.
“I started watching Supreme Court arguments for fun when I was 10 years old,” Lee told The Hill Wednesday. “So if somebody asked me if I would consider that, I would not say no.”
That comment echoed what the senator said in January 2017 .
Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, weighed in on Twitter and called Mike Lee “the single best choice,” adding that he would be “extraordinary” in the role of Supreme Court justice.
A Utahpolicy.com poll conducted in January 2017 found that the majority of Utahns would like to see the senator appointed to the Supreme Court.
A spokesman for Utah State Courts said Wednesday that Thomas Lee had no comment about the speculation.
