Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has informed Trump transition insiders that he would accept the nomination to take the place of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, potentially cementing the power of the court’s conservative wing for decades, according to sources.
But another source close to Cruz said that while he is eager to help the new administration, he hasn’t committed to any new position.
Cruz hinted at his openness to joining the court Friday at a legal conference.
“Ted Cruz would absolutely accept it if offered a seat on the court,” said a transition insider.
The source close to Cruz said later Sunday that Cruz hasn’t give a green light to President-elect Trump.
The transition has been looking at naming Cruz for several reasons, among them the likelihood that he would never veer from conservative views like some other Republican justices have. He is also expected to be more of a conservative movement battler on the court.
Cruz is also a hardline Constitutionalist conservative who believes that the document is not something to be adjusted to reflect changes in American society.
Picking Cruz, a popular 2016 Republican presidential candidate, would also help to unify the party split over the election and reward Cruz for eventually backing Trump.
Cruz is just 45 years old, and he would likely serve on the court for several decades, possibly getting a chance to be chief justice. But he could also eventually use that perch to take another run for the presidency.
At the legal conference on Friday, he answered a question about joining the court by saying, “What I will say is that history is long and can take unexpected paths.”
He added, “I think it is absolutely vital that that seat and every other seat that comes vacant on the court be filled by principled constitutionalists who will be faithful to the law and will check their own policy preferences at the door and simply honor their oath.”
Republican sources said that it is likely that Cruz would win confirmation, but if he was challenged by Democrats, they expect GOP leaders to use the so-called “nuclear option” to win his seat with a simple majority of senators.
He has already won calls of support. In the Senate, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham said Cruz would be a perfect replacement for Scalia.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
