Trump Interviews Sen. Mike Lee For SCOTUS Job

The Deseret News reports:

President Donald Trump interviewed Utah Sen. Mike Lee on Monday about the coming vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Deseret News has learned. Lee, who is in Utah, confirmed the telephone interview but would not elaborate on the conversation.

Trump is expected to reveal his choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy next week. Lee, a Republican in his second term, is on the list of potential nominees Trump prepared during his 2016 presidential campaign.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reported Monday that Trump has narrowed the list of candidates to federal Judges Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. It now appears Lee also is in the running.

Lee, who would be the first Mormon to serve on the Supreme Court, is the Senate author of the so-called First Amendment Defense Act, which would legalize anti-LGBT discrimination nationwide for business owners who act on a “sincerely-held religious belief or moral conviction.” His bill, which has not yet been reintroduced in the US House, presently has 22 Senate cosponsors.