• President Donald Trump is said to have talked to four federal appeals court judges as he vets potential replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy: Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Amul Thapar, and Raymond Kethledge. White House Counsel Don McGahn is set to manage the nomination and confirmation fight for whomever Trump nominates next week. ( Bloomberg )
• An “army” of Washington-based lawyers, former law clerks, and law students, is ready to back Kavanaugh if Trump picks him next week. Kavanaugh, a former Kennedy law clerk and White House lawyer for President George W. Bush, was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. ...