SUPREME COURT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump will be advised by a small group of deeply conservative lawyers, some inside the White House and at least one from outside, on choosing a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, said several sources familiar with the process. Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday. White House Counsel Don McGahn will be Trump’s lead adviser on the pick, having successfully guided the nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch through the selection and confirmation process last year, White House sources said. Leonard Leo, an outside legal activist, will be another key member of the president’s advisory team, sources said. Leo is on leave from his position as executive vice president of the Federalist Society, an influential conservative legal group that regularly gathers like-minded lawyers and judges at conferences and on law school campuses nationwide. He helped compile a 25-person list of likely nominees from which Trump has said he will make his selection.”
-Andrew Chung, Steve Holland, “Conservative lawyers steer Trump on U.S. Supreme Court pick,” Reuters, June 28, 2018 1:25 pm