Earlier this week, Anthony Kennedy sent shockwaves through the political establishment by announcing his intention to retire from the Supreme Court at the end of July. It was a surprising move considering Kennedy is seen as one of the more moderate judges on the bench, and because it will allow Donald Trump to nominate a new justice.
There has already been plenty of speculation surrounding who Trump will select to succeed Kennedy on the bench. BetDSI has posted odds on some of these potential choices, along with a few interesting longshots.
Donald Trump Supreme Court Justice Nominee Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Amy Coney Barrett +250
Brett Kavanaugh +350
Thomas Hardiman +500
Raymond Kethledge +800
Amul Thapar +1000
Mike Lee +1200
Joan Larsen +1500
William Pryor +2000
Britt Grant +2000
Diane Sykes +3000
Don Willett +3000
Thomas Lee +3000
Allison Eid +4000
Margaret Ryan +4000
Paul Clement +4000
Federico Moreno +5000
Patrick Wyrick +5000
Kevin Newsom +5000
Jeff Sessions +10000
Judge Joe Brown +25000
Judge Judy +25000
Ivanka Trump +25000
Tomi Lahren +50000
Charlie Kirk +50000
Donald Trump Jr. +50000
Kanye West +100000
Field (Any Other Person) +1000
Right now, the betting favorite is Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett would make for an interesting choice, but Trump has already seemed to take a liking to her. At 46, she doesn’t have the experience you typically see in a Supreme Court nominee. She has spent most of her legal career as a law school professor at Notre Dame, and she only became a Circuit Court judge in November.
However, she has been given high marks by conservatives. She was a clerk for Antonin Scalia after she finished law school, and she also called Roe vs. Wade an “erroneous decision” in a piece for a journal back in 2003. It would likely signal that Republicans are looking to overturn the landmark case.
Brett Kavanaugh is the next favorite on the list. Kavanaugh might be a personal favorite of Trump’s considering some of his beliefs. He is on the record as saying that presidents should not be subject to investigations and lawsuits while in office, and that is something that might be music to Trump’s ears.
There are also more traditional reasons to like Kavanaugh. He has been a Circuit Court judge for over a decade now, having been appointed by George W. Bush back in 2006, and he was once one of Anthony Kennedy’s clerks.
His nomination would be contentious though, perhaps even more contentious than an inexperienced candidate like Barrett. He was considered too partisan by Democrats in 2003, and his appointment was stalled for three years. Trump has shown that he isn’t afraid to rattle the saber, but he is also keen on making deals.
Among these favorites are some wacky longshots. There are no laws regarding who can and cannot be a Supreme Court Justice, so Trump has carte blanche when it comes to he can pick.
Family is well-represented by the oddsmakers, with odds of 250-1 on Ivanka Trump and 500-1 on Donald Trump Jr. It wouldn’t be the first time that a president hand-picked a family member for an important role in government either if Trump went this route.
Television personalities Judge Judy and Jude Joe Brown are on the list too, with odds of 250-1 each. These two have less of a chance than Don Jr. or Ivanka, but at least they have some experience.
The longest odds on the board belong to Kanye West. He is 1000-1 to be Trump’s pick.
