text: President Trump Donald John TrumpYemeni-American man kills himself after family blocked from entering US by Trump admin Dershowitz on MSNBC panel: 'Don't you dare accuse me' of defending Trump Bannon slams Kochs: 'What they have to do is shut up and get with the program' MORE is slated to announce his highly anticipated pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court on Monday night after narrowing down a list of potential nominees to just three likely names. 
   
   As the president prepares to make his selection, which comes less than four months before the midterm elections, conservative activists are publicly urging him to consider a number of picks that look likely to push the balance of the court toward conservatives for decades. 
   
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   Trump has reportedly narrowed his list of seven interviewed candidates to just three federal appeals court judges: Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett. He is set to unveil his pick at the White House in prime time on Monday night. 
   
   Democrats and some Republicans are pressuring Trump to pick a nominee who in their view is not intent on overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion across the country in 1973. Trump has said recently that he will not ask candidates about their stance on the case as he prepares to make his decision. 
   
   Here's who top conservatives and allies of the president want to see Trump pick for his next nominee: 
   
   Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSupreme Court fight becomes battle for Kavanaugh’s papers GOP senator warns against 'fishing expedition' for Kavanaugh documents It’s time we start thinking about post-Trump America MORE (R-Ky.): Raymond Kethledge and Thomas Hardiman 
   
   Though he hasn't backed anyone outright, the Senate Majority Leader is reportedly nudging Trump toward nominating Kethledge or Thomas Hardiman, because they present "the fewest obvious obstacles to being confirmed," The New York Times reported Saturday. 
   
   According to the Times, McConnell has told Trump and White House counsel Don McGahn in multiple phone calls that he fears another top pick, Kavanaugh, would have a hard time securing the Senate's confirmation. The Times reported that McConnell has raised concerns over Kavanaugh's extensive paper trail from his 12 years as a D.C. Circuit judge, in addition to his posts as White House staff secretary for former President George W. Bush and assistant to Ken Starr, whose investigation ultimately led to the impeachment of former President Clinton. 
   
   Hugh Hewitt: Raymond Kethledge 
   
   Conservative MSNBC commentator and radio host Hugh Hewitt has pushed publicly for Trump to nominate Kethledge, a judge on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, whom he has described as the "best choice" in the White House's search for "Gorsuch 2.0," referring to Trump's successful nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch last year. 
   
   Hewitt specifically pointed to Kethledge's willingness to challenge a company's "deference toward the vast administrative state, a doctrine dangerous in its corrosive effect on self-government," in a Washington Post op-ed this week. He also cited the advantage of nominating a judge such as Kethledge from swing-state Michigan. 
   
   Joining @craigmelvin on @MSNBC next hour to talk #SCOTUS and Judges Barrett, Kavanaugh and Kethledge. I’ve explained why I think @realDonaldTrump should nominate Kethledge — https://t.co/88L0vzl8HR— and underscore the upside politically of the MI Judge is very very high. — Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 5, 2018 
   
   Matt Schlapp: Brett Kavanaugh 
   
   Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union and a top ally of the president, has urged Trump in an op-ed for The Hill to select Kavanaugh as his next nominee. In the piece, Schlapp pointed to a number of rulings that favored conservatives, such as an opinion against a decision upholding ObamaCare's contraceptive mandate and a dissenting opinion against a ruling that upheld a ban on semi-automatic rifles. 
   
   "He literally wrote the book on judicial precedent, with Justice Gorsuch as one of his co-authors. No one else on the president’s list comes even close to that level of influence," wrote Schlapp, whose group hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. 
   
   Mark Levin: Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeWe’re headed for a future where only the wealthy can enjoy nature Congress must provide a check on harmful tariffs Overnight Health Care: House votes to repeal medical device tax | Fierce ObamaCare critic joins administration | GOP senators target DC individual mandate MORE 
   
   Radio host Mark Levin named as his top choices for Trump's nominee two names that do not appear to be near the top of the president's list, while claiming Barrett as his third choice. The conservative host argued that he would rather see Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R), whom he called the "gold standard," nominated to the court, but conceded that Judge William Pryor and Barrett would be acceptable second and third choices, respectively. 
   
   My Supreme Court recommendations in order:I’ve endorsed Mike Lee, who would be the gold standard. My 2nd choice would be Bill Pryor & my 3rd would be Amy Barrett. All 3 of these individuals are solid constitutionalists.That is the only basis for nominating a person to the Court — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 7, 2018 
   
   Laura Ingraham: Brett Kavanaugh 
   
   Fox News host Laura Ingraham joined the chorus of figures on the right banding behind a potential Kavanaugh nomination, tweeting Friday night that the judge's "12 yrs of STELLAR opinions" should overshadow any criticism he may receive for originally being named to the bench under the George W. Bush administration. 
   
   "The fact that Kavanaugh—like so many conservatives his age—worked for Bush 43 is a nonsensical reason to oppose him for SCOTUS," she tweeted. 
   
   The fact that Kavanaugh—like so many conservatives his age—worked for Bush 43 is a nonsensical reason to oppose him for SCOTUS. 12 yrs of STELLAR opinions. — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 6, 2018 
   
   Memo to any concerned conservatives: Brett Kavanaugh would be a PHENOMENAL SCOTUS Justice. Rock solid 12 yrs of jurisprudence on 2A, immig, slammed use of int’l law, & slammed by @SenWarren! — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 5, 2018 
   
   Ben Shapiro: Amy Coney Barrett 
   
   Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro urged Trump to select Barrett during an appearance on Fox Business Network's "Kennedy" this week, calling her preferable, especially to Kavanaugh, in that she was likely "more solid in terms of what originalists are hoping for." 
   
   Kavanaugh, Shapiro argued, was the "D.C. insider pick" and was being pushed hard by former members of the Bush administration. Kethledge, he added, would be an acceptable second-choice pick. 
   
   Jim DeMint: Mike Lee 
   
   Former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who now heads the Conservative Partnership Institute, tweeted Thursday that he was throwing his organization's support behind Lee, who had apparently been eliminated from Trump's top picks by the end of the week but remained among the seven candidates Trump had interviewed for the seat. 
   
   “Sen. Lee has a proven record of standing up for principle, for doing the right thing for the right reasons, even in the face of withering criticism," DeMint tweeted. 
   
   “Sen. Lee has a proven record of standing up for principle, for doing the right thing for the right reasons, even in the face of withering criticism.” — Jim DeMint (@JimDeMint) July 5, 2018 
   
   Adam Brandon: Mike Lee 
   
   Tea Party-affiliated group FreedomWorks announced in a press release this week that its president, Adam Brandon, had signed a letter with conservative senators urging Trump to tap Lee for the high court. 
   
   "With the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia last year, President Donald Trump hit a home run. Now, with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the president has a chance to go two for two, and put his stamp on the high court for a generation," Brandon said. 
   
   Erick Erickson: Mike Lee 
   
   Conservative columnist Erick Erickson appeared to join DeMint and other figures on the right in calling for Lee to be installed on the Supreme Court, calling the GOP senator the "perfect pick" for the court in a tweet in late June, sharing a column calling for as much. 
   
   Mike Lee is a perfect pick. https://t.co/1of6IBrbcq — Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 30, 2018 
   
   — This list will be updated with new developments 
   
   — Updated 9:20 p.m. ||||| Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, told President Trump this past week that Judges Raymond M. Kethledge and Thomas M. Hardiman presented the fewest obvious obstacles to being confirmed to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, according to Republican officials briefed on the conversation. 
   
   While careful not to directly make the case for any would-be justice, Mr. McConnell made clear in multiple phone calls with Mr. Trump and the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, that the lengthy paper trail of another top contender, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, would pose difficulties for his confirmation. 
   
   Mr. McConnell is concerned about the volume of the documents that Judge Kavanaugh has created in his 12 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as well as in his roles as White House staff secretary under President George W. Bush and assistant to Kenneth W. Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.
target: – Mitch McConnell has been calling the White House daily, and not to discuss President Trump's golf game. McConnell has been carefully explaining—without explicitly telling Trump what to do—which Supreme Court nominees would get faster approval before the November elections arrive and make everything dicey, insiders tell the New York Times. McConnell prefers Raymond Kethledge and Thomas Hardiman and warns that reported front-runner Brett Kavanaugh poses two problems: too long a paper trail from his 12 years on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and too much political baggage from his years as assistant to Kenneth Starr and staff secretary to President George W. Bush. McConnell has also told Trump he could lose two Senate votes (Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins) with another apparent contender, Amy Coney Barrett, who has trumpeted socially conservative views and may be more likely to overturn Roe v. Wade. McConnell is also aware that with John McCain away fighting brain cancer, the GOP has only 50 votes, and libertarian-leaning Rand Paul could be a wild card. The Times describes Kethledge as a "strongly conservative" Midwesterner who hasn't spent much time in Washington, and Hardiman as a "reliable conservative" who served with Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, one of Trump's sisters, on the federal appeals court in Philadelphia. Check out the Hill to see which contenders are being pushed by other top conservatives.