Trump announces 2020 list of potential Supreme Court nominees

President Trump on Wednesday announced an updated list of Supreme Court nominees ahead of the 2020 election, adding nearly two dozen more possible justices to his list from 2016. 

Trump named jurists such as Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bridget Bade, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Rushing, and numerous others.

"It's humbling and an immense honor to be considered for the Supreme Court. The High Court plays a unique role in defending our Constitution, and there is no greater responsibility in public service than to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," Cruz said in a statement. "In the Senate, I have been blessed to lead the fight to preserve our constitutional liberties –every day, to defend the rights of 29 million Texans – and I look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come."

In addition to Cruz, Trump also named two other sitting Republican senators – Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri – as potential Supreme Court nominees. 

Hawley on Wednesday tweeted that he will not pursue a position on the high court.

"I appreciate the president’s confidence in listing me as a potential Supreme Court nominee. But as I told the president, Missourians elected me to fight for them in the Senate, and I have no interest in the high court. I look forward to confirming constitutional conservatives," Hawley tweeted.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had indicated on Tuesday that the president would be releasing a list of Supreme Court nominees in the near future. 

The president had been "working very closely ... with the White House general counsel, getting input from a number of others," Meadows said. 

The president over his first term has already succeeded in placing two justices—Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—on the high court. 

The two oldest justices on the Supreme Court – Ruth Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, both in their 80s – are appointees of Bill Clinton. The next-oldest Republican appointee, Clarence Thomas, is 72.