Politics

Miami native seen as a top contender for vacant Supreme Court seat

ORLANDO, Fla. — Since 1789, 114 justices have served on the Supreme Court on the United States; all but four have been men.

President Donald Trump has said he would like to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a woman.

Now many Florida Republicans are making the push for that woman to be Miami native Barbara Lagoa.

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52-year-old Lagoa currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a position she’s held since 2019.

Before that, she served briefly on the Florida Supreme Court after being appointed to the state’s high court by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida is one of 19 states that has never sent a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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But if Lagoa is to join the court, the President and Senate will need to move quickly.

“It is entirely possible that the Senate would hear the candidate, hear them before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and then have that candidate get a full vote before the Senate, and it’s very possible for that to happen before the election,” says federal judiciary expert Anthony Marcum of the R Street Institute. “There’s also plenty of time for the nominee be considered during a lame duck session, that is after the election and before the inauguration of the next president.”

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Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate, and only 51-votes are required to confirm a Supreme Court justice.