Trump announces new list of potential Supreme Court picks

U.S. Law Review

U.S. President Donald Trump announced at the White House on Wednesday a new list of 20 more candidates he would consider nominating to the Supreme Court, which is widely seen as his latest effort to bolster support among conservative voters in the November elections.

Among the names added to the list are three sitting Republican Senators -- Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed his Democratic rival Joe Biden did not release his own list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court because "they are so far left could never withstand scrutiny."

"Unfortunately, there is a growing radical left movement that rejects the principle of equal treatment under the law," the president said. "If this extreme movement is granted a majority on the Supreme Court, it will fundamentally transform America without a single vote of Congress."

Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino, a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, told Fox News earlier this summer that she expects Trump's Supreme Court list to be a major factor in the upcoming election.

"Twenty-one percent of voters said that the Supreme Court was their number one issue. That's more than a fifth of the voters. So it was hugely significant," she said.

The list was first released in the later stages of the 2016 Republican presidential primary with the aim to reassure conservatives suspicious of Trump that he would make Supreme Court picks in line with their priorities.

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USCIS Adjusting Premium Processing Fee

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it is adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers beginning on Oct. 1, 2018 to more effectively adjudicate petitions and maintain effective service to petitioners.

The premium processing fee will increase to $1,410, a 14.92 percent increase (after rounding) from the current fee of $1,225. This increase, which is done in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, represents the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last increased in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.

“Because premium processing fees have not been adjusted since 2010, our ability to improve the adjudications and service processes for all petitioners has been hindered as we’ve experienced significantly higher demand for immigration benefits. Ultimately, adjusting the premium processing fee will allow us to continue making necessary investments in staff and technology to administer various immigration benefit requests more effectively and efficiently,” said Chief Financial Officer Joseph Moore. “USCIS will continue adjudicating all petitions on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet all standards required under applicable law, policies, and regulations.”

Premium processing is an optional service that is currently authorized for certain petitioners filing Forms I-129 or I-140. The system allows petitioners to request 15-day processing of certain employment-based immigration benefit requests if they pay an extra fee. The premium processing fee is paid in addition to the base filing fee and any other applicable fees, which cannot be waived.