thomas hardiman.e is a personal connection to the term family because he is fifth on the bench of the president's sister on the third circuit. he has a little bit of a different story, went to notre dame and georgetown. the only nonivy league member on the bench. he put himself through college and scholarships. also, by driving a taxi. he also has a very specific judicial philosophy. here's a bit of what he said in 2006, has anna tearing a confirmation with current seat. he said, "our role as judges is to interpret our law, so, with our task is to give an honest construction as to what pass are lost by the legislature. i have no hesitations. any good judge recognizes his or her place in our constitutional government and that places not to upset the will of the people as expressed through their elected representatives." martha committees or boards that ring true and walter conservatives who are excited about both of these picks. they are a little bit worried that they are a bit thin. they feel very exc

hardiman driving himself from pennsylvania. this drama oshg straighted by trump resembling an "apprentice"-style announcement tonight, not tipping his hand on who he's saying "you're hired" to. the reason, one person says, trump likes a contest. as for the one who isn't chosen, it's not a you're fired, apparently. trump doesn't see second place as a bad thing. this source telling cnn there will be other openings on the court so the person not picked will be runner-up, all in an attempt to distract perhaps from the growing controversy surrounding the travel ban. today the trump administration tried to deny that it even is a ban. >> it can't be a ban if you're letting 325,000 people in. >> this is not a travel ban, not a ban on muslims. >> the problem of course is that trump himself has used the word ban to describe this travel change. much more on that in a moment, but first pamela brown is out front. moments away from this big announcement, apprentice-style built up by the president. what do you know? >> reporter: that's right.

that was judge thomas hardiman. hardiman didn't get the job, came very close.axi driver, which is why all of his decisions start with "okay if we take the tunnel?" now, here's my favorite part: apparently the trump administration "asked hardiman to come to washington to build suspense." and i just want to say to president trump, you already have us on the edge of our seat, sir. please. i don't think we can take any more thrills. now, trump played the suspense perfectly. cnn even broadcast footage of hardiman getting gas on the way to d.c. it was such dramatic footage, that cnn had to cut away from their live coverage of paint drying. drying. ( laughter ) apparently, hardiman was willing to play along with the ruse because he was given a sense that there could be a spot for him should another vacancy open up. that's right. he may have been the runner-up nominee, but that just means he is going to be next season's the nominette. now, republicans are ready to confirm gorsuch right away. they're ready to go. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell actually said, "i

i think judge hardiman has a

now as far as the other top contender, judge thomas hardiman. he was spotted at a gas station, filling up his tank there. there were a lot of reports that he was also headed to d.c. but the white house press secretary, sean spicer says there was no effort at all by the white house to coordinate with hardiman to create an air of suspense. spicer says he doesn't believe hardiman even left pennsylvania. >> >> mission impossiblement. >> he stayed home. >> stephanie robbins joining us early from the supreme court. thank you. >> the trump administration looking to clear up confusion over its controversial executive order on immigration and refugees. now denying that it is a ban. >> as president trump faces criticism. homeland security chief, john kelly defended the order as extreme vetting insisting not a ban on muslims. white house press secretary sean spicer said it is not a ban at all. though the president and spicer himself, had referred to it as a ban. >> first of all it is not a travel ban. a 90 day ban. the ban deals with seven countries. >> oh

very eloquent and can expect a great many fascinating opinions from his pen. >> my him over hardiman? >> both would have been wonderful. know them both well. judge hardiman will probably find his way onto the short list again if president trump has another nomination. but judge gorsuch is just a wonderful pick. i think either one would have been extent. but i can't be happier. in working over the last three years on book of judicial precedent together, he was wonderful writing partner just as justice scalia was. >> is this pick more of the same? democrats might be. ivy league credentials, white male. anything unique? >> from the midwest and doesn't have a lot of geographic diversity but new mold, probably not. exactly what the president wanted. looks out to see big part of his constituency who voted for him for president based on putting somebody in just like scalia. i think not looking for a lot of change. >> late scalia's wife maureen was in the audience. deft nod to -- conservatives in his party hung in there on this issue because of the supreme court seat. >> you could tell that b

neil gorsuch or tom is hardiman. as a republican do you have a preference? >> neither one of these are actually two conservatives, they are just to the left of what a mike lee or a ted cruz. either one of these should be acceptable. they both got approved 95-0 including the feinstein voting. i think hardiman is a safer choice and the other is about assisted suicides the others are conservative and should be approved. >> but democrats vowing for a fight. >> do you remember when president bush came into office they filibustered 28 appellate offices and never gave them a hearing. i suspect this is the same. one side does it and the other doesn't. it will keep up this way. >> let's talk about the executive orders. a lot has happened since you were on last time and it seems as though president trump is getting opposition, does that concern you. >> there is two ways about taking away a troubled organization. there is a consensus issue and move it slowly and bring people together or you do what trump is doing which is go full force and keep your promises and there

then hardiman said, "what the hell just happened?"ghter ] next gorsuch said, "this was a a dream come true." and hardiman said, "this is the cruelest thing anyone could do. inviting me to a party and then not putting my name on the list." finally gorsuch said, "i can't express how happy i am." while hardiman said, "i can't express how much i regret getting a lower back tattoo that says, 'justice supreme.' [ applause ] should've told me before i got the tat." [ cheers and applause ] actually, a source told "us weekly" that melania trump is going to wait until later in the year to decide if she'll move to washington. yep. she said it depends on a lot of factors, like if her husband is still president. [ laughter and applause ] we'll see. we'll see. yesterday president trump called rudy giuliani quote, "very much of an expert on cyber security." [ light laughter ] which is true if that sentence ended with, compared to me. >> steve: yeah. >> jimmy: and then, yeah. oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. compared to you. [ laughter ] this week white house p

two solid conservatives, neil gorsuch and thomas hardiman. mr. trump held off as long as he could before revealing his choice to them. even the chairman didn't know. >> i wish i knew. i wouldn't mind letting the cat out of bag, but i don't know. >> reporter: several officials say they heard the president will choose gorsuch but reserves the right to change his mind. he will bring a westerner sensibility to the supreme court. conservatives compare him to antonin scalia, someone he admired. >> he was a lion of the law. a roar that could echo for miles. >> reporter: he met his wife while thomas hardiman comes from a working class background. first in his family to graduate from college and drove for his father's taxi company in massachusetts. he married the daughter of prominent democrats in pittsburgh. whoever the nominee is is in for a tough fight. president obama's choice never got a hearing. >> we had the situation that a supreme court seat has been stolen from one president and delivered to another. that's an unacceptable thing to do. >> report

the front-runners are judge neil gorsuch and judge thomas hardiman. abc news reporter stephanie ramos with a look ahead to tonight's announcement. >> reporter: tonight in a primetime presentation, we'll hear who president trump has chosen to take a seat on the supreme court bench. >> we'll see you in a little while. we'll be announcing a supreme court justice, who i think everybody is going to be very, very impressed with, so we'll see you at about 8:00. >> reporter: the high court has been operating with only eight justices since antonin scalia's death last february. during the campaign, trump promised that his nominee would be someone similar to scalia. >> the justices that i'm going to appoint will be pro life, they will have a conservative bent, they will be protecting the second amendment. >> reporter: here are the top two contenders for the spot. solid conservatives, judges neil gorsuch and judge thomas hardiman. hardiman is 51 years old, serves on the third circuit court of appeals with president trump's sister, maryanne trump barry, who source

two names we've been hearing all day, judge neil gorsuch, judge thomas hardiman. there was some suggestion they might be in the room tonight. a sighting of either of them? >> not at this point. the room is packed for family members, of course, of whichever contender walks out and appears in front of the media. we know that both neil gorsuch and thomas hardiman are the top twoics and there was indication from our sources that both were given the opportunity to come here tonight and to attend. but a senior administration official tells nbc news, only one is in washington. >> we'll go to the newsroom. a statement will be made here shortly. pete williams, what have you learned? >> all signs point to neil gorsuch. 49 years old. a fourth generation coloradoan. he would bray western perspective to the u.s. supreme court. we won't know for sure until we their president say it but we've heard from several people that he has decided at the last minute on neil gorsuch. >> and let's go now to chuck todd who is with me. the battle lines are drawn. it starts in a few minutes. >

we also reported yesterday that judge hardiman was summoned to washington, which created the specter that we were going to have a reality show have an announcement. that didn't happen. this was a very conventional announcement and the white house says that judge hardiman never left the state of pennsylvania. not sure what happened, but he is somebody that almost got the nomination who will probably look like judge gorsuch, where a lotta folks will say he is very qualified and he is kind of a conventional republican nominee or would be a conventional republican nominee to the supreme court. host: greg stohr reports on the supreme court for bloomberg news. bloomberg.com is reconfirmed his reporting. guest: thanks for having me. host: we will continue to look at judge gorsuch and his nominee for the super court. here is john mcardle. >> and it has been 12.5 hours since that nominee was unveiled at the white house and there has been so much reaction in that time. one that we want to highlight is from the nonpartisan judicial watchdog court. it calls for more transparency in the court and

my understanding is judge hardiman never left the commonwealth of pennsylvania. with all due respect, i can't be held accountable for reports that falsely stated he was here. he never was at the white house. my understanding is he had a meeting in eastern pennsylvania with another judge, and again, i don't track his whereabouts, but my understanding is he never left the commonwealth of pennsylvania yesterday. so we announced when we were going to make the announcement, it was a phenomenal way to introduce judge gorsuch to the american people and the united states senate. we invited democratic leaders, democratic members of the senate judiciary committee, unfortunately, none of them showed up, but it was an opportunity for them and the american people to see an amazing choice that the president made for the bench. >> reporter: sean, my question is -- >> you said one, john. >> reporter: i didn't ask the question. my question is with the support of the people who called the president, it would be safe to say that judge hardiman will be on deck if there is another va

throughout the day have surfaced as the likely final candidates, neil gorsuch of denver and thomas hardiman. trump announcing this after justice antonin scalia back in february died in texas. obama namingack merrick garland his nomination in march, but the u.s. senate never taking that nomination up. the president advisors are here. just to let you know, we will show you the whole nomination tonight, but following the coverage, we will open up our phone lines and get your thoughts on the presidents pick tonight. naming merrick garland his nomination in march, but the u.s. senate >> ladies and gentlemen, the presidents of th of the united states. [applause] president trump: thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. scalia passed away suddenly last february, i made a promise to the american people. if i were elected president, i would find the very best judge in the country for the supreme court. i promised to select someone who respects our laws and is representative of our constitution and who loves the constitution. and someone who interprets the

the thing i love about thomas hardiman is he's more like bruce froemming than he is the babe ruth. you know who bruce is but -- >> explain it. >> he was the longest serving major league umpire in major league baseball history. you don't know his name. why? because tom sees the job of a judge as an umpire. he's not there to hit home runs or score touchdowns. he's there to call balls and strikes and to make sure the rules are followed. that's what i'm looking for and what conservatives are. it's going to be an interesting pick here. >> wolf? >> jake, thanks very much. dana, this is a critically important decision presumably there will be a fight once the nomination goes to the senate. >> of course there will be. that's exactly what the white house is welcoming right now. republicans all on one side, supporting the president and the president's pick, which is almost surely going to happen here and democrats also welcoming frankly a political fight because they want to rally their base and feel that -- they want to show their base they have people in washington fighting thr pem. >> lad

my understanding is judge hardiman never left the commonwealth of pennsylvania. i can't be held accountable for reports that falsely stated that he was here. he never was at the white house. my understanding is he had a meeting in eastern pennsylvania with another judge. again, i don't track his where abouts but my understanding is that he never left the commonwealth of pennsylvania yesterday. we announced when we were going to make this announcement. i think it was a phenomenal way to introduce judge gorsuch to the american people and to the united states senate. we invited democratic leaders, democratic members of the senate judiciary committee. unfortunately none of them showed up. but it was an tune for them and the american people to see an amazing choice that the president made for the bench. >> sean, my question is -- >> you said one. >> i didn't ask a question. my question is simply this. with the support that he received to call the president, would it be safe to say judge hardiman will be on deck if there's another vacancy soon, say justice kennedy reti

hardiman is your guy? >> he's a good friend of mine and things you're saying about neil gorsuch you could say about tom, but the fact that gorsuch is more in the mold of scalia, more of a flare for writing, powerful writer, more intellectual, probably fits better than tom who is more of a blue-collar kind of -- >> cab driver guy. do you think it gives him breathing room in the uproar over the ban? >> amongst the base certainly. rolled it out beautifully. great justice. hopefully a reset button for the team. >> what do we know about judge gorsuch and how he might rule on abortion, lgbt issues and religious liberty? he's not ruled on all of them specifically but judicial philosophy, almost certainly vote down the line the way justice scalia did, against abortion rights and affirmative action and gay rights. this proved the value of the obstruction that the republicans engaged in over the past year. during the last year of president obama's presidency. they stopped merritt garland, equally qualified to neil g

there was speculation that pennsylvania federal court of appeals judge thomas hardiman was going to be nominated but gorsuch is his nominee >> a lot of people are talking about he very much has because anthony kennedy could retire for making, his elder sister who sits on the david spunt cbs3 "eyewitness news." >> thank you for that. >>> some are already speaking out against gorsuch, saying he is out of the mainstream. >> supreme court is the worse nightmare for negligent festivities and women and civil rights and human rights advocates. >> those opposed to the nomination came together in front of the supreme court for a protest. some carried signs saying he's extreme and dangerous. another one of president trump's cabinet nominees is on the job. elaine chow is the nation's secretary of transportation. betsy devos to head the department of education. meanwhile democrats boycott add meeting to vote on tom price and steven man new chen. they misled and are demanding more answers. republicans slammed the boycott. >>> hundreds of american diploma diploma diploma diplomats sean spicer sugges

hardiman who was appointed by george w. bush to the court of appeals in pennsylvania. he served on the court alongside 's sister, maryanne trump barry, who is said to have given an endorsement. the word in washington is that suchfavorite is neil gor from denver, colorado. serving on the court of appeals there. any say that he is the natural heir to antonin scalia and has a conservative bent. if you look at the decisions, he is or religious freedom and fought to defend the rights of policemen using force. many say that he is the right choice that trump will pick. until donald trump speaks at 8:00 p.m. tonight, we don't know which way he will go. katty: in the big picture, how important is this pick for donald trump? rajini: hugely important because of the balance of the court. at the moment there are 4 liberals and 4 conservatives, though one conservatives is often seen as a swing vote. it is important they get another conservative to replace antonin scalia a. after his death, president obama wanted to appoint a justice called mary ireland --merrick garland, another lib

there was speculation that pennsylvania federal court of appeals judge thomas hardiman was going to be nominated but gorsuch is his nominee >> a lot of people are talking about he very much has because anthony kennedy could retire for making, his elder sister who sits on the david spunt cbs3 "eyewitness news." >> thank you for that. >>> some are already speaking out against gorsuch, saying he is out of the mainstream. >> supreme court is the worse nightmare for negligent festivities and women and civil rights and human rights advocates. >> those opposed to the nomination came together in front of the supreme court for a protest. some carried signs saying he's extreme and dangerous. another one of president trump's cabinet nominees is on the job. elaine chow is the nation's secretary of transportation. betsy devos to head the department of education. meanwhile democrats boycott add meeting to vote on tom price and steven man new chen. they misled and are demanding more answers. republicans slammed the boycott. >>> hundreds of american diploma diploma diploma diplomats sean spicer sugges

started, i who knows, but they said they were bringing in both the gorsuch and bringing in judge hardiman from western pennsylvania, they were both coming down to dc. they were going to set up an apprentice like announcement. it was pretty basic. seems like do you think that was something that was -- was deliberately planted in the media or do you think that was just sort of a build-up because this is donald trump? >> donald trump is a show man. he loves to do these types of things he talks about. he paraded his secretary of state possibilities all in front of the media. he had dinner with mitt romney. it's not a surprise this is floated in some way that they were both going to be coming to washington. even described by some administration sources as a purposesful facto keep the suspense building, there were some reports before the actual announcement that it was going to be the judge, and ultimately, that true but most didn't pick up on it perhaps because we know he doesn't make decisions until last minute even with the vice president he was debating till the last moment whether or not m

hardiman is considered a law and order judge. >> has it all between fast for the stock market? welcome. good you have to with us. let me ask by twisting the question just a little bit. and i wonder whether this is something that has the market a little perplexed. can an administration be pro business, avowedly so, aggressively so on the one hand, and also, pro protectionism at the same time? >> you know, that's a great question and it is one investors will have to wrestle with. this is all new territory for both the president and a stock market to see that kind of dynamic to play together. i think if you start really a specter of a protectionist president, this is uncharted territory. we haven't had a trade war in a while. pits spector out there. it has people excited. the less regulatory overhang and some of the other things president trump has talked about. the more you talk about a protectionist environment with the kind of trade partners we have, the more uncharted territory. the more we find out those facts. people sell and ask questions and then they decide to go later. >

you were mentioning before thomas hardiman was rumored to be a supreme court pick. there's a video we can put up that is still unknown as to its original. as a tmz style video that emerged of him, if he was going to be trump's pick, at a gas station, right? and you were saying that that -- he wasn't ultimately the pick, but where does that come from? >> i was totally fascinated with that clip. i couldn't figure out -- >> there it is. >> was he aware that he was going to be, you know, encountered at the gas station? who told the cameraman to find him there? >> this is not a household name where tmz would show up. this video came at a time when they were trying to stoke mystery about who the pick would be. >> that's right. someone had to know he was coming along that route. maybe the whole thing was a setup. it tracks very closely with either "the apprentice" "the bachelor," "the bachelorette," the buildup of suspense as to whether hardiman or gorsuch would be ultimately nominated. the first thing that trump said after he nominated gorsuch, was that a surprise or what

and because of the supreme court nominations that could happen, and even though hardiman did not win out last night, he could be the next one or perhaps bill pryor of alabama who would be very controversial probably would have forced republicans to go nuclear. but yes, trump has the ability to probably reshape the court for many decades to come. >> you know, bob, what is interesting, if you look at gorsuch and his rulings and written opinions, he's demonstrated skepticism of the executive branch yielding decisive power. look, we know given the first few days that president trump is quite comfortable using executive authority to influence the law. do you think there's the potential that gorsuch could become a thorn in trump's side? >> you never know with these picks. it is interesting, gorsuch has said the court should basically have more power, that the agencies are given too much power as far as regulations and the things they put out. but that is the problem, is that with -- when george w. bush nominated chief justice roberts, all the conservatives loved him. but then, of course, w

my understanding is judge hardiman never left the common wealth of pennsylvania. with all due respect, i can't be accountable for false statements that said he was here. he was never at the white house. my understanding is he had a meeting in eastern pennsylvania with another judge. again, i'm not -- i don't track his whereabouts, but my understanding is he never left the commonwealth of pennsylvania yesterday. so, it was -- you know, we announced when we were going to make this announcement. i think it was a phenomenal way to introduce judge gorsuch to the american people and to the united states senate. we invited democratic leaders, democratic members of the senate judiciary committee. unfortunately, none of them showed up. but it was an opportunity for them and the american people to see an amazing choice the president made for the bench. >> sean, my question is -- >> you said one, john. >> i didn't ask the question. my question is simply this, with the support that he received, would it be safe to say judge hardiman will be on deck if there's another vacancy,

and earlier in the week, the administration told the media that gorsuch and hardiman would travel too d.c. but after it turned out only gorsuch made the trip, the administration criticized the meetia for reporting information they provided. and they called fake news accountes of a tense call between president trump and malcolm turnbull. sources from both governments confirmed the call was fact nact tense and there were sharp agreements. three episodes of accusing the media for doing one thing when oftentimes the white house was part of the story itself. >> pelley: the state department said it has revoked tens of thousands of visas in the ban on citizens from seven predominantly muslim nations. a cbs news poll out today finds that americans are split on that ban. 45% approve, 51% disapprove. as for the president, only 40% of americans approve of the job he's doing, 48% disapprove. breaking it down by party, 84% of republicans approve, 84% of democrats disapprove. central paris was thrown into panic today after a knife-wielding man attacked soldiers guarding the louvre museum. president

into today's date are judge neil gorsuch from the tenth circuit court of appeals and judge thomas hardiman of the third circuit court of appeals. i have been told judge gorsuch has been the front-runner in this. he's been compared to justice scalia and we will now see. here is the president. >> invited guests plus the press in the room tonight. he is coming out, leaving the suspense a little longer, coming out alone. >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. when justice scalia passed away suddenly last february, i made a promise to the american people. if i were elected president, i would find the very best judge in the country for the supreme court. i promised to select someone who respects our laws and is representative of our constitution and who loves our constitution and someone who will interpret them as written. this may be the most transparent judicial selection process in history. months ago as a candidate, i publicly presented a list of brilliant and accomplished people to the american electorate and pledged to make my choice from a

president's big prime-time announcement, cnn caught up with one of his two top contenders, judge thomas hardimanis way to washington, stopping to gas u in bedford, pennsylvania. >> i can ask about your trip to d.c.? are you the potential supreme court pick? >> trevor: shame, guys. that poor judge. the dude is going for a d.c. job interview and he's getting treated like he just (bleep) a kardashian. totally not cool. these are serious judges who deserve to be treated with respect. with that said, let's learn more about the man who actually got the rose in tonight's installment of "profiles in tremendousness." >> i have the most dedicated people. i know best people. we're going to use our best people. i have the smartest people in the world. i know guys that are so good. so good. ( laughter ). >> trevor: so who is neil gorsuch? well, not only is he a federal judge on the tenth circuit court of appeals. he's also a part-time cialis spokesperson. so you know he's not soft on crime. ( laughter ) and though there are some objections, you know, people saying, "oh, another white dude who went to harvard

and earlier in the week, the white house told reporters both oril gorsuch and thomas hardiman would traveld.c. for the president's supreme court e councement. but after it turned out only gorsuch made the trip, the white infoe then criticized media for reporting information the white house itself had provided. ded lastly, the president described as fake news accounts of a tense call between mr. trump and australian prime minister malcolm turnbull. sources within both governments, scott, confirmed the call was in t,ct tense and there were sharp disagreements. so three episodes accusing the media of doing one thing when oftentimes the white house was part of the story itself. >> pelley: major garrett at the white house. thank you. today the state department said it has revoked tens of thousands of visas in the ban on citizens from seven predominantly muslim nations. a cbs news poll out today finds that americans are split on that ban. 45% approve, 51% disapprove. e, for the president, only 40% of americans approve of the job he's doing, 48% disapprove. breaking it down by party, 84% of repub

it will be either neil or thomas hardiman.oks like neil gore such be the lead right now but you never know when it comes to donald trump. we will be listening closely for his pick. it is kind of like a reality show here or you got to bring out the two finalists. i am wondering whoever loses, what happened there? does he get sent home with something or what? it's a dramatic sent home like they do in the reality shows. he picks time time to reveal this supreme court pick. way. really going to >> president trump's final two continues. -- contenders are summoned to washington. they play the signing to focus white house attention. already affecting his investment decisions. >> it is beginning to creep into our investment. >> trade data beat estimates in december. beating forecast of 9%. although the corresponding numbers have fallen sharply. the data start. industrial production that almost doubled estimates year on year. despite third-quarter earnings beating estimates. the combined home and mobile unit really goes on sale in marc

howie: reports that turned out to be untrue is hardiman * was at a gas takes in altoona. >> i think it'seen well acknowledged. howie: they say republicans did this last year with garland. this strikes me about what people hate about washington. >> i also think americans don't like hypocrisy. i think it's hard for some americans when they see republicans saying he needs a vote right away. we need to move forward. we know what happened to merrick garland. he should have gotten meetings and conversations on the hill and people don't like that either. howie: thanks very much for stopping by this sunday. after the break, it's super bowl sunday. we'll go live to houston in just a moment. howie: nice graphic as we count down to the super bowl. the usual media hype has turned political. tom brady was asked about his relationship with donald trump. >> i'm not talking politics. why? because i want to focus on the positive aspects of this game. the teammates and the reasons why we are here. and, you know, taking a lot of hard work to get to this point. howie: what's the matter of you sports reporte

howie: reports that turned out to be untrue is hardiman * was at a gas takes in altoona. >> i think it'sn well acknowledged. howie: they say republicans did this last year with garland. this strikes me about what people hate about washington. >> i also think americans don't like hypocrisy. i think it's hard for some americans when they see republicans saying he needs a vote right away. we need to move forward. we know what happened to merrick garland. he should have gotten meetings and conversations on the hill and people don't like that either. howie: thanks very much for stopping by this sunday. after the break, it's super bowl sunday. we'll go live to houston in just a moment. (avo) did you know two areas of your brain can make it hard to lose weight? contrave is an fda-approved weight-loss medicine that may help adults who are overweight or struggle with obesity lose weight and keep it off. contrave is believed to work on two areas of the brain: your hunger center... (woman) i'm so hungry. (avo) to reduce hunger. and your reward system... (woman) ice cream. french fries. (avo) to hel

i think judge hardiman has a record more pro-government. gorsuch is more sceptical of government. being pro-life, being pro gun, gun rights, i think they both set that mold. both would allow him to say to his base, this is way promised and this is how i delivered. >> working on the third circuit court, with the president's sister, some people think, that gives him -- if you will, a little bit of an advantageous. >> i know the president's sister. we were judges in new jersey together. a formidable woman. personality and intellect. lou: i was on a jury in which she was the judge it was a civil case. >> you would have been a teenager in those days. >days. lou: i was, i assure you. here comes the president. we are about to find out. judge map * with me throughout. stay with us as thpresident approaches the podium. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. when justice scalia passed away suddenly last february, i made a promise to the american people. if i were elected president, i would find the very best judge in the country for the supr

hardiman is in the wings? will it be justice hardiman?o get the ratings with the countdown clock. >> let's get this straight. >> it was no accident, believe me. no accident. >> that would be president trump knowing how to pull the strings of the media, and i don't know if i would blame trump for that. >> he decides his own style points. >> sure does. >> he showed us last night, and i didn't want to be come phreusit in something that i take seriously. >> you have ever been on manchin's houseboat before? >> on what? >> joe manchin's houseboat? >> >> yeah, several times. >> pleasant, huh. he likes to play this down-home guy, and -- >> oh, no, this is fancy. >> he bought it in a bankruptcy sale and got a good deal on it. we all have a lot of good times on a bipartisan basis. >> we want to have a show there. >> the thing we loved about it is, he said it's always bipartisan, if there are four democrats, there has to be four republicans, and that's good. >> when he played the rock 'n' roll oldies, everybody is singing along. >> we'll do that. >>

i think judge hardiman has a record more pro-government. gorsuch is more sceptical of government. being pro-life, being pro gun, gun rights, i think they both set that mold. both would allow him to say to his base, this is way promised and this is how i delivered. >> working on the third circuit court, with the president's sister, some people think, that gives him -- if you will, a little bit of an advantageous. >> i know the president's sister. we were judges in new jersey together. a formidable woman. personality and intellect. lou: i was on a jury in which she was the judge it was a civil case. >> you would have been a teenager in those days. >days. lou: i was, i assure you. here comes the president. we are about to find out. judge map * with me throughout. stay with us as the president approaches the podium. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. when justice scalia passed away suddenly last february, i made a promise to the american people. if i were elected president, i would find the very best judge in the country for the su

so if you compare him to a pryor or hardiman. but what we have to compare him to is merrick garland. i don't want that to be lost. so we had a supreme court back in the beginning that was very fragile. but let's remember chief justice marshall was ceful about husbanding the crebility of the court because it was a weak institution. people used to leave all the time to become state court justices or diplomats, something that would be unthinkable today because it's the most prestigious position -- >> the first chief justice left to be a governor. you would never imagine that happening now. >> so what i'm worried about -- and also chief justice marshall used to insist that opinions be only in because he was so worried that anything less than unanimous opinion would weaken the credibility of an institution. what i worry about when i see those graphs about how conflicted we are with confirmation hearings is that the supreme court may not be the rock of gibraltar that we grew up with. it may not be a completely respected, really the mos

judge hardiman was never asked to come to washington, d.c. he was seen getting in his car yesterday morning but traveling to the eastern part of pennsylvania to meet with the chief judge of the third circuit. but the white house wasn't about to disabuse people of the notion that they were both coming here. >> bill: what's the reaction from senators involved in this confirmation process, john? >> a lot of senators in the room last night. a couple of them have been strongly at odds with the president both as a candidate and as president. senator ted cruz of texas and senator lindsey graham. cruz said he is over the moon about this pick. listen. >> this decision is vindicating the promise donald trump made to the american people. he told the american people if he was elected he would not nate a principled constitutionalist to deplace justice scalia he -- >> i also asked senator graham what he would say to democrats who are still in the senate now who were in the senate back in 2006 who approved judge gorsuch's appointment to the 10th circuit cou

question, with the support of the people he called the president would it be safe to say that judge hardiman will be on deck say justice kennedy retiring? >> i think there's a lot of vacancies we see at the p appellate level. he's impressive, impressive. they were unbelievable impressive so i don't want to get in front of the president so hopefully he continues to have the president's support and someone that the president was unbelievably impressed with, so we'll have to see what vacancies come down the pipe. >> i love when you say we have two questions, i have two questions something you mentioned at the top. first you mentioned the three folks no, ma'am na folks nominated to the department of justice, why now before senator sessions is there, is it because a lack of people, was he consulted or just the whole issue this week the acting attorney general. >> it's just the normal process. i mentioned a few briefings, with the deputies, the underes n the pipeline, we have the commerce previous lly announced. >> with senator sessions in speaking with him. >> of course. these are people he's cle

two other judges are currently under consideration, william pryor from alabama, thomas hardiman, whon pennsylvania. it is george neil gorsuch who seems to have the inside track. joining us now from florida, brit hume. first of all, can the democrats block president trump's choice? >> yeah, they can, bill. if they filibuster it, the republicans don't have 60 votes, which is what you need to shut on a filibuster. they only have 53. if a filibuster were mounted, it wouldn't halt the consideration of the nomination until it ended. it could be ended if the republicans were able to round up seven democrats to vote with them. they could shut it down. only once before in history has a supreme court nomination ever been filibustered and that was the nomination, the last republican supreme court nomination, out of samuel alito, that filibuster failed. he was confirmed. >> bill: it looks to me that it will be very hard for the trumpet administration to get seven democratic senators, two or three, i can see, seven, the it will be tremendous pressure on those people to stay within the party. >> t

gorsuch beat out philadelphia based a petal judge hardiman of the third circuit, reportedly named finalist for this position. judge gorsuch has a reputation as someone who interpret the constitution and the statutes as they were originally written. let's get over to lauren johnson to explain some more. lauren? >> reporter: up until now republicans didn't know what to expect from the president who seems to be un predict until his delivery and execution. law. last night during the prime time move he had the party breathing a collective sigh of relief. president trump nominated the fast rising conservative judge who is celebrated by his colleagues for his intellect, his experience and his demeanor. at 49 years old, co-potentially serve for several decades, with other justices, who are in their late 70s and early 80s, gorsuch is the son of ann gorsuch, first female head of the environmental protection agency, which means he spent some significant time in washington dc with mom. maybe that sparked an interest in politics, to prep school, before columbia, harvard, oxford f confirmed by the senat

they brought his final -- trump's final two choices, judge neil gor such from denver, and judge hardimanrom pittsburgh, they brought them in to see which one -- that's right, ryan seacrested his choice for the supreme court. like a two on one date on "the bachelor." [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] president trump chose america's next top supreme court justice. >> i mean, he's totally messed up, fellas, but you have to admit he's just a different kind of a guy. meatloaf, this is really bothering you, isn't it. >> yes. yes, sir. >> you know what meatloaf, i'm going to make you very happy. >> okay. >> gary, you're fired. rajon, you're fired. meatloaf, you're fired. judge neil gorsuch. you're very talented, you're very unique, you're an amazing guy, you're hired. >> jimmy: congratulations to neil gorsuch, you're going to hollywood. this is how it really happened. from the white house live tonight. >> and i would like to ask judge gorsuch and his wonderful wife louise to please step forward. please, louise, judge. here they come. so was that a surprise? was it? >> jimmy: well, yeah. you