Alabama judge on Trump's list of potential SCOTUS nominees

Judge William H. Pryor (Photo: Screenshot)

On Wednesday, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump released a list of eleven potential picks for the Supreme Court that included Alabamian William Pryor.

Judge William “Bill” Pryor, Jr. is currently a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is a Mobile, Alabama, native and served as Alabama Attorney General from 1997 to 2004, succeeding now-U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions.

Pryor is an icon in conservative legal circles and has already enjoyed a distinguished legal career, including stints as Alabama’s deputy attorney general and attorney general before being nominated to the Eleventh Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Senate Democrats initially filibustered Pryor’s nomination and criticized him for being an “extremist” after he referred to the Supreme Court as “nine octogenarian lawyers” and called Roe v. Wade the “worst abomination in the history of constitutional law.”

President Bush ultimately installed Pryor as a federal judge through a recess appointment. He was eventually confirmed by a vote of 53-45.

The next president will ultimately decide who fills the ninth seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, which has remained vacant since Justice Antonin Scalia passed away in February. Senate Republicans have effectively stymied President Obama’s pick, Judge Merrick Garland, making the 2016 election a referendum on the Supreme Court as well.

Along with his list, Trump released a statement regarding his likely selections to the court.

Justice Scalia was a remarkable person and a brilliant Supreme Court Justice. His career was defined by his reverence for the Constitution and his legacy of protecting Americans’ most cherished freedoms. He was a Justice who did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country. The following list of potential Supreme Court justices is representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value and, as President, I plan to use this list as a guide to nominate our next United States Supreme Court Justices.

The other candidates on Trump’s list ate Steven Colloton of Iowa, Allison Eid of Colorado, Raymond Gruender of Missouri, Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, David Stras of Minnesota, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin and Don Willett of Texas.

Pryor was also one of the five on the list to be recommended by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The judge’s selection by Trump as a potential candidate is consistent with statements made by Trump following Scalia’s death.