Collins: White House has expanded its list of potential Supreme Court picks

The White House has expanded its list of potential Supreme Court nominees after Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) urged President Trump to broaden his search, the GOP senator said Sunday.

“The White House counsel told me there have been a few additional, potential nominees added to that list,” Collins said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” while discussing her meeting with Trump earlier this week.

Collins said that she suggested Trump broaden his search beyond the list of 25 candidates that the White House released in November. The senator told ABC that Trump has added five judges to that list.

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The White House released five additional names of potential Supreme Court nominees in November, though Collins appeared to be referring on Sunday to more recent additions.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

The GOP senator’s comments came days after Trump said that he would use the list when picking a nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Collins stressed that Trump “should not feel bound by that list.”

GOP Sen. Susan Collins on her discussion with Pres. Trump about his SCOTUS nominee: “I told him that I was looking for a nominee that would demonstrate a respect for precedent…I also suggested that he broaden his search beyond the list of 25 nominees.” #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/pqw8X4bJ16

— ABC News (@ABC) July 1, 2018

The Maine senator, who will serve as a crucial vote in the upcoming confirmation process, noted that she could not vote for some individuals on Trump’s list because they don’t respect stare decisis, the concept that once a case is decided, it is law.

“Some people on the list I can’t support because they have shown disrespect for vital principle of stare decisis,” Collins said. “I’m not going to go into which ones those are but there are people on that list whom I could not vote for.”

“Some of the people on the list I have not vetted at all,” Collins acknowledged on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Kennedy announced that he is retiring effective July 31. His retirement provides Trump an opportunity to select his replacement, further shaping the court for years to come.

The president said he intends to name a nominee on July 9, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the Senate will vote on the pick this fall.