After Trump’s announcement, Cruz stated, “I am grateful for the president’s confidence in me and for his leadership in nominating principled constitutionalists to the federal bench over the last four years.”
“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I’ve been proud to help confirm to the bench over 200 of President Trump’s judicial nominees, including two to the Supreme Court. It’s humbling and an immense honor to be considered for the Supreme Court. The High Court plays a unique role in defending our Constitution, and there is no greater responsibility in public service than to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said Cruz.
“In the Senate, I have been blessed to lead the fight to preserve our constitutional liberties — every day, to defend the rights of 29 million Texans — and I look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.”
In 2018, Cruz said during an interview that he would not be interested in serving on the Supreme Court.
Asked if he would consider accepting a nomination, Cruz said, “I revere the institution, what it has meant for our country, for the Constitution, for the rule of law, what it’s meant for protecting individual liberty, basic liberty every one of us has — the short answer is no, that’s not a path I’m interested in going down.”
Not long after the interview, Cruz wrote an op-ed for Fox News advocating for fellow Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to be nominated for the Supreme Court.
Cruz is not the only Texan that Trump included in his additions — Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge James Ho was also on the list.
Prior to his current position, Ho was also a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Solicitor General of Texas from 2008-2010.
Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, also Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and from Louisiana, was also on Trump’s list.
Earlier this year, Duncan upheld Gov. Greg Abbott’s temporary prohibition on abortions when non-essential surgeries were postponed.
In addition to Cruz, Trump included two other senators on his list: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
“My original list of potential justices include many of our nation’s brightest legal minds, such as Bill Pryor, Amy Coney Barrett, and Thomas Hardiman,” said Trump. “Like those distinguished individuals, the 20 additions I am announcing today would be jurists in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.”
The full list of his new additions are:
- Bridget Bade of Arizona, judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Daniel Cameron of Kentucky, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
- Paul Clement of Virginia, former Solicitor General of the United States
- Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas
- Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
- Stuart Kyle Duncan of Louisiana, judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Steven Engel of the District of Columbia, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice
- Noel Francisco, former Solicitor General of the United States
- Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri
- James Ho of Texas, judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Gregory Katsas of Virginia, judge on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals
- Barbara Lagoa of Florida, judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- Christopher Landau of Maryland, United States Ambassador to Mexico
- Carlos Muñiz of Florida, justice on the Supreme Court of Florida
- Martha Pacold of Illinois, judge on the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Peter Phipps of Pennsylvania, judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
- Sarah Pitlyk of Missouri, judge on the District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- Allison Jones Rushing of North Carolina, judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Kate Todd of Virginia, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President
- Lawrence VanDyke of Nevada, judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
