President Donald Trump and senior Republican leaders were quick to discuss Supreme Court nominees after the passing of iconic jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to CNN. Ginsburg spent decades as a Supreme Court justice and was beloved for dedicating her life to protecting the rights of women. 

But a recent New Yorker profile of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he has been anticipating Ginsburg's death and was even touting her passing as a way for Republicans to win more seats in the November elections. Despite criticizing former President Barack Obama for trying to nominate a Supreme Court Justice in an election year, Republicans are preparing to do the exact same thing.

“McConnell’s telling our donors that when R.B.G. meets her reward, even if it’s October, we’re getting our judge. He’s saying it’s our October Surprise,” a source told The New Yorker's Jane Mayer. 

Trump appeared on Fox and Friends Monday morning and spoke about the potential replacements for Ginsburg while criticizing her granddaughter for relaying the justice's final words: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."

The president told Fox News that his nomination for the court will come on Friday or Saturday and that he has pared down a lengthy list to five candidates.

According to Fox News and The New York Times, the list includes Judge Amy Coney Barrett from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Judge Barbara Lagoa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and Judge Allison Jones Rushing of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Judges Thomas Hardiman of the Third Circuit in Philadelphia and William Pryor Jr. of the 11th Circuit in Atlanta are also possible choices along with Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, according to The New York Times. Former solicitor general Noel Francisco is also being considered for the spot. 

Trump has already appointed two conservative justices to the Supreme Court since his term began in 2017 and he is likely to get a third choice. With Ginsberg's passing and another conservative judge added, the Supreme Court will be weighted 6-3 in favor of conservative jurists. 

The president has specifically said he wants someone young so that they serve for a long time, and Fox News noted that Barrett is 48, Lagoa is 52 and Rushing is 38. 

Some Republicans have called for a candidate who believes Roe v. Wade was "a mistake."

“I will vote only for those Supreme Court nominees who have explicitly acknowledged that Roe v. Wade is wrongly decided. By explicitly acknowledged, I mean on the record and before they were nominated,” Hawley told The Washington Post in July.

“I don’t want private assurances from candidates. I don’t want to hear about their personal views, one way or another. I’m not looking for forecasts about how they may vote in the future or predications. I don’t want any of that. I want to see on the record, as part of their record, that they have acknowledged in some forum that Roe v. Wade, as a legal matter, is wrongly decided,” he added, reiterating that stance in a Tweet this weekend. 

As Blavity previously reported, Trump released a list of 20 people on September 10 that included Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Senator Ted Cruz amongst others as potential choices for the Supreme Court. 

After days of withering criticism from Democrats about the decision to vote on a new Supreme Court Justice just weeks away from an election, McConnell said the Senate will rush a vote on Trump's nominee before the election. 

"President Trump's nominee for this vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate. The Senate has more than sufficient time to process a nomination," McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. 

Amy-Coney-BarrettDonald trumpMitch McConnellRuth Bader GinsburgSupreme-court