Cotton attacks Roe v. Wade right after making Trump's Supreme Court shortlist

Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a list of people he would consider appointing to the Supreme Court should he win another term in office, including three Republican senators: Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

All three men are vocally anti-abortion. Cotton reminded the public of that minutes after Trump said the Arkansas senator is among those he’s considering for the court.

“It’s time for Roe v. Wade to go,” Cotton tweeted.

Supreme Court justices are supposed to be neutral, deciding cases based on the Constitution rather than on their personal political convictions.

During confirmation hearings, nominees often take pains not to express an opinion on certain cases. For example, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh would not say how he would have ruled in Roe v. Wade, despite previous anti-abortion decisions he authored.

Trump, for his part, has sought to court evangelical voters by vowing to nominate anti-abortion justices.

But among the electorate as a whole, abortion rights are popular. A Gallup poll conducted in May found 79% of registered voters think abortion should be legal at least in certain circumstances. Just 20% of voters say abortion should be completely illegal.

Analysts said that while Trump’s announcement he would nominate people like Cotton to the court could energize his base, it could also push voters toward Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Reacting to Cotton’s tweet about Roe v. Wade, Stu Rothenberg, the publisher of the newsletter “Inside Elections,” tweeted: “Listed by Trump as a possible Supreme Court nominee. Well, that might turn out younger voters nationally who normally don’t vote.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.