When I saw the list of 21 possible Supreme Court Justices to fill Justice Scalia’s vacated seat after he died in increasingly suspicious circumstances, one name stood out. Not because this name was on the list, but because it wasn’t. The name of Judge Andrew Napolitano, a dear friend of Dr. Ron Paul who considered him his most likely pick for Vice President had he won the Presidency in 2012.
October 20th, 2016, I sent a text message to a friend that had been advising Donald Trump. No, my memory isn’t that good, I simply scrolled back a bit in my phone’s text messages and found it. I suggested that adding Judge Andrew to this list of 21 other names, would earn some favor with the Liberty Movement, mentioning that in 2012 our numbers were 1.2M strong at the ballot box, and Trump could benefit from some of that on Nov 8.
Today, Dec 15, 2016, we learn that Judge Andrew spent an entire hour with President-elect Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Is it possible that my suggestion reached the President-elect’s ear? Unlikely, though possible. Far more likely that Judge Andrew was suggested through some other means. I could not care less, the fact that he is being considered is all I care about.
It is the nature of the time they spent together today that gives me a great deal of hope that Judge Andrew is now being considered for SCOTUS. Allow me to explain.
Trump is an entrepreneur who has succeeded in business by picking the best people to work for him. His criteria for leaders is altogether different from politicians or even the politically minded. He’s looking for 1. Loyalty. 2. The ability to lead. 3. The experience needed to perform the job. 4. Highly intelligent. And 5. Doesn’t want the job.
In every “exit interview” of people that have left Trump Tower in consideration of being selected for a cabinet position, I have noticed a common thread in what they share with the media. You will hear that they just had a conversation with Trump about what kind of person ought to be in that position. They explain that they gave Trump their best advice on what his cabinet pick should look like, what the position should be about, and how that person should best serve the President, and their country.
There is something that separates the winners from the losers. The winners remained objective and simply advised the President. The losers, spent their time telling Trump how they would be the best person for the job. Trump is looking for people that don’t want the job, but will serve if ever asked. This was Rudy 9/11 Giuliani’s downfall. He thought too highly of himself. He wanted the job, and explained how good he’d be at it. Immediate disqualification. Say what you will about Trump’s own perceived arrogance, but he sees a big difference between a winning attitude and an arrogant one.
Now enter the Judge. A man of great loyalty. A man that is deeply respected by conservatives, libertarians and even many on the Left. He has the experience needed to be a Supreme Court Justice. He is highly intelligent. Judge Andrew spent an entire hour with Trump today, an unparalleled amount of time at this stage.
After the meeting, Judge Andrew shared what Trump and he had discussed, explaining that…
The President Elect has begun to concentrate on picking a replacement for Scalia. He was interested in a broad range of ideas and attitudes about the type of person that would best fill his seat. Trump wanted to know his positions on the intellectual, idealogical and temperamental qualities to seek in his nominee. Not whom, but what characteristics the person should have.
The exact same amount of time, the same conversation, as Trump has had with all his other appointees. Judge Andrew hits all 5 of the fundamentals that Trump looks for in his people, including not wanting the job, which he’s made clear. He is completely different to all of the expected front runners for the job. He absolutely meets the modus operandi of Donald Trump’s picks so far.
Trump isn’t just inviting people over for a chit chat. He is the president-elect for Pete’s sake. Yet most of their conversation was casual, friendly banter. The Judge was even asked to accompany Trump to a photoshoot. If all Trump wanted was Napolitano’s counsel, he would have placed a phone call, not dedicated an hour of his personal time. Trump was getting to know the man himself, not just what he knew.
It is my assessment that Judge Andrew Napolitano is unquestionably on the short-list to take Justice Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court. He is certainly my first choice.