Conservative groups prepared to spend big to boost next Supreme Court nominee

A pair of top conservative groups announced Wednesday they plan to spend at least $1 million each on the looming battle to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Judicial Crisis Network each announced within hours of Kennedy’s retirement announcement that they would commit seven-figures to support President Trump’s next Supreme Court nominee.

AFP, the political arm of the Koch network, said in a statement it is “prepared to commit seven-figures to support a nominee in the mold of Neil Gorsuch – someone who will interpret the law as written and not legislate from the bench.”

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The group indicated it would support a nominee off the list of 25 candidates that the White House released in November, a list Trump pointed to on Wednesday when discussing the search for Kennedy’s replacement. 

“We’re pleased with the White House’s list of prospective nominees and we look forward to seeing who they nominate,” Sarah Field, AFP’s vice president of judicial strategy, said in an email.

AFP is the political arm of the network founded by GOP mega-donors and conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch. David Koch stepped down from Koch Industries earlier this month due to health reasons.

Another top conservative group, Judicial Crisis Network, announced Wednesday afternoon a $1 million ad campaign to bolster Trump’s eventual pick and voiced support for the president’s list of potential nominees.

“Like Justice Gorsuch, all of the men and women on President Trump’s judicial list are the best and brightest in their field,” Carrie Severino, the group’s policy director, said in a statement.

“Like Justice Gorsuch, each one of them has the wisdom and experience necessary to sit on the Supreme Court from day one,” she continued. “We look forward to President Trump nominating another great justice.”

The group released an ad shortly after Kennedy’s announcement, touting the opportunity for Trump to “appoint another great justice.” The ad goes on to attack Democrats as “extremists” who will “lie and attack the nominee.”

Kennedy, 81, announced earlier Wednesday that he intends to retire effective July 31, leaving after 30 years on the court. The decision provides Trump with the chance to nominate another conservative justice, further altering the judicial landscape for years to come.

Trump told reporters he plans to begin the search for Kennedy’s replacement “immediately,” adding that the pick will come from the White House list of 25 candidates.

Kennedy’s retirement has already led lawmakers to draw partisan battle lines.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who refused to hold a hearing for then-President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016, said he plans to have a vote on Kennedy’s successor this fall.

Democrats have argued that McConnell should keep the seat open until after the November midterm elections so the newly elected Congress can have a say in the nomination.

Republicans have a slim 51-seat majority in the Senate and are effectively capped at 50 votes, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) battling brain cancer.

Democrats will then need to win over at least one GOP senator and keep their caucus together to block Trump’s nominee after Republicans went “nuclear” and removed the 60-vote procedural hurdle when they confirmed Gorsuch, Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee.

Three Democrats up for reelection this year in states won by Trump in 2016 – Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.) — voted for Gorsuch last year.