President Trump is often loud and obstreperous, but not when it comes to choosing judicial nominees. On judges, there are no early morning tweet storms or rants. The president holds forth without restraint on practically every issue known to man. Judges are the lone exception.

His sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, who recently retired at 82 as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has Trump’s ear. As his aides learned, he has great respect for her: After she suggested a 3rd Circuit colleague, Thomas Hardiman, for the Supreme Court, the president considered him twice for vacancies. Hardiman eventually lost out first to Neil Gorsuch and then to Brett Kavanaugh.