Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Judge Amul R. Thapar to join the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will begin next week.
President Trump nominated Thapar for the 6th Circuit judgeship after considering him for the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Thapar was included on Trump’s shortlists and met with Trump about the vacancy before the president chose Justice Neil Gorsuch instead.
With speculation flying that another vacancy on the high court could open up as early as this summer, Thapar’s nomination hearings could set the stage for future confirmation fights if Trump taps Thapar for another position in the future. Thapar is the son of Indian-American immigrants and was the first Article III judge of South Asian descent when nominated by President George Bush in 2008, as the White House noted at the time of his nomination last month.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley scheduled hearings on Thapar’s nomination for Wednesday at 10 a.m.
