While age discrimination is illegal in the workplace, it ought to be a guiding principle in the Oval Office as President Trump swipes through a catalog of potential Supreme Court nominees.
[Read: Anthony Kennedy’s resignation letter to Trump]
The ideal nominee will have the mind of Clarence Thomas and the wit of Antonin Scalia. But even more important is the longevity of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Just like her, the nominee ought to be prepared to live and serve for as many decades as possible.
Judging from Trump’s list of Supreme Court candidates, it’s clear he has a type: young. Ten of the 26 potential nominees are under 50. The youngest of those is an Oklahoma Supreme Court justice named Patrick Wyrick. He just turned 37 years old last March and makes Justice Neil Gorsuch look like an old man.
It is easy to be blinded by youth. In the coming months, though, this White House must be guided by it. Republicans are about to replace their oldest justice, leaving that role to Clarence Thomas at age 70. But Democrats have two justices who were born during FDR’s presidency.
In short, Trump has an opportunity to tip the balance of the high court for several generations. Below is his shortlist, sorted by age:
Patrick Wyrick of Oklahoma, Supreme Court of Oklahoma (37)
Britt Grant of the Supreme Court of Georgia (40)
Keith Blackwell of the Supreme Court of Georgia (42)
David Stras of Minnesota, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit (43)
Kevin Newsom of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit (45)
Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit (46)
Mike Lee of Utah, U.S. Senator (47)
Joan Larsen of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (49)
Amul Thapar of Kentucky, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (49)
Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (51)
Don Willett of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit (51)
Raymond Gruender of Missouri, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit (52)
Allison Eid, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (53)
Brett Kavanaugh of Maryland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (53)
Thomas Lee of Utah, Supreme Court of Utah (53)
Raymond Gruender of Missouri, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit (54)
Margaret Ryan of Virginia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (54)
Steven Colloton, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit (55)
William Pryor of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit (56)
Diane Sykes of Wisconsin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit (60)
Edward Mansfield of Iowa, Supreme Court of Iowa (61)
Timothy Tymkovich of Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (61)
Charles Canady, Supreme Court of Florida (64)
Federico Moreno of Florida, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (66)
Robert Young of Michigan, Supreme Court of Michigan (67)
