President Donald Trump is expected to announce his decision on who he will nominate to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Supreme Court Monday evening, and Alabama Senator Doug Jones has stated he is open to voting in favor of the new Justice.
“I’m open to voting yes. I’m open to voting no. We don’t know who the nominee is going to be yet,” Jones told CNN on the State of the Union Sunday morning. “I don’t think my role is to rubber stamp for the President, but it’s also not an automatic knee-jerk no, either.”
As of Monday morning, Trump’s top contenders for the vacant Justice seat are federal appeals judges Amy Coney Barrett, Thomas Hardiman, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge.
Trump’s choice is predicted to begin a battle in the Senate between Democrats who are warning that the development may lead to changes on issues such as abortion rights and gay rights; and Republicans who are eager to win a majority in the court.
