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SALT LAKE CITY — After Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement Wednesday, speculation has resurfaced that Sen. Mike Lee could be a candidate to fill Kennedy's spot.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Lee, R-Utah, praised Kennedy for his service to the country and said, "I look forward to working with the president and my Senate colleagues to identify and confirm his replacement."
Both the senator and his brother Thomas Lee — the associate chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court — are on President Donald Trump's shortlist of 25 potential candidates for the position, which was published on the White House's website in November.
Trump has said he will choose someone from that list to fill Kennedy's position.
Mike Lee is the only person named on the list who does not currently serve on a state or federal court, but he has long been interested in the justice system.
"My respect for the Supreme Court and those that serve on the bench was instilled in me as a young boy. Because of that respect I know this isn't a role sought for nor declined. This, of course, is a decision that will be made not by me, but by the president," Lee told the Deseret News Wednesday.
In rare hallway interview Sen Mike Lee says he “would not say no” if asked to consider serving on Supreme Court
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) June 27, 2018
Lee: “I started watching Supreme Court arguments for fun when I was 10 years old. So if somebody asked me if I would consider that I would not say no. But the president’s got a decision to make and I trust his ability to make it and make it well.”
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) June 27, 2018
In a live Q&A event streamed on his website Wednesday, Lee responded to a question from a Utah man who offered support and asked for Lee's thoughts on speculation that he could be appointed to the Supreme Court position.
Lee thanked the man and said that "it's great to know that some people back home" support him.
"If the president asked me to consider that, I would not say no. But that said, this is not in my hands, this is in his hands," he explained.
That comment echoed what the senator said in January 2017. A Utahpolicy.com poll published at the time found that the majority of Utahns would like to see the senator appointed to the Supreme Court.
Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, weighed in on Twitter on Wednesday and called Mike Lee "the single best choice" for the position, adding that he would be "extraordinary" in the role of Supreme Court justice.
A spokesman for Utah State Courts said Wednesday that Thomas Lee had no comment about the speculation.
- Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Keith Blackwell of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia
- Charles Canady of Florida, Supreme Court of Florida
- Steven Colloton of Iowa, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Allison Eid of Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Britt Grant of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia
- Raymond Gruender of Missouri, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Brett Kavanaugh of Maryland, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Raymond Kethledge of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Joan Larsen of Michigan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Mike Lee of Utah, United States Senator
- Thomas Lee of Utah, Supreme Court of Utah
- Edward Mansfield of Iowa, Supreme Court of Iowa
- Federico Moreno of Florida, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Kevin Newsom of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- William Pryor of Alabama, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- Margaret Ryan of Virginia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- David Stras of Minnesota, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Diane Sykes of Wisconsin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Amul Thapar of Kentucky, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Timothy Tymkovich of Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Robert Young of Michigan, Supreme Court of Michigan (Ret.)
- Don Willett of Texas, Supreme Court of Texas
- Patrick Wyrick of Oklahoma, Supreme Court of Oklahoma
Source: whitehouse.gov
