AFJ Leads the Nation in Preparing for a Potential Supreme Court Vacancy with Comprehensive Research on Possible Nominees

Learn about potential nominees on our website 

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 2, 2026 – As speculation grows over a possible vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is leading the effort to ensure the public, lawmakers, organizational partners, and the media have the information needed to scrutinize any potential nominee.

Drawing on decades of expertise in judicial nominations and accountability, AFJ today released its in-depth research revealing a troubling pattern among nearly three dozen of the names likely under consideration: records marked by loyalty to Donald Trump, hostility toward fundamental rights, and decisions that favor powerful billionaires and corporate interests over working people and communities. The facts of these potential nominees’ backgrounds lay the foundation for a strategic opposition campaign that highlights the real-world impact these loyalists would have on our Court. AFJ, with our Fair Courts coalition partners and diverse membership of nearly 140 member organizations, are prepared for such a fight.

“Americans deserve to know exactly who could be entrusted with a lifetime seat on the highest court in the country,” said Rachel Rossi, President of Alliance for Justice. “Our research goes beyond headlines to examine how these judges have ruled, whose interests they have protected, and what their records tell us about the future of our constitutional rights. Alliance for Justice will continue serving as the nation’s leading resource for rigorous, fact-based analysis throughout any Supreme Court nomination process.”

AFJ’s research finds that many potential nominees have built careers advancing an agenda that threatens long-established rights and legal protections. It’s also clear that Trump is prioritizing loyalty in his nominations this term, and we’ve even seen some of the nominees clearly auditioning for him through their rulings. Their records include decisions and legal positions that undermine workers’ rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, immigrant communities, environmental protections, and the ability of federal agencies to safeguard the public interest.

The research also demonstrates that many of the potential candidates have consistently placed political ideology above judicial independence. Several have close ideological ties to the judicial philosophy advanced by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, reflecting a broader effort to reshape the Supreme Court into a vehicle for consolidating political power rather than serving as an independent check on it.

For decades, AFJ has been the country’s foremost watchdog on the federal judiciary, providing comprehensive research on judicial nominees, educating the public about the importance of the courts, and holding nominees accountable for records that threaten equal justice under law.

The Supreme Court battle ahead is a critical piece of our strategy to stop the loyalist takeover of our federal courts. As the possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy becomes increasingly real, we will continue updating our research throughout the nomination process to ensure that every potential nominee receives thorough public scrutiny. With a president clear about his overarching strategy to erode democracy and build a court loyal only to him, any nominee selected will be raising their hand as another volunteer willing to make Trump a king.