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Sources: Trump Considers Barrett, Lagoa, Thapar For Supreme Court Spot

Published September 19, 2020 at 9:21 PM EDT

The flag flies at half-staff Saturday at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [J. Scott Applewhite / AP] — The flag flies at half-staff Saturday at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Judges Amy Coney Barrett, Barbara Lagoa and Amul Thapar are being seriously considered by President Trump for nomination to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to sources familiar with the process.

An announcement on the nominee could come as early as Monday or Tuesday.

Barrett is the front-runner, according to the sources. A former high-ranking White House lawyer told NPR's Tamara Keith that "Barrett remains very highly regarded. She would be a brilliant and compassionate justice. Her intellect and thought leadership are well-established. It is telling in these violent chaotic times that opposition to her is based primarily on her Catholic faith."

Barrett sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and was a finalist for Trump's second high court nomination, which ultimately went to Brett Kavanaugh.

Lagoa, a Florida native, sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and Thapar of Kentucky on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Sources in the executive branch told NPR's Carrie Johnson that Kate Todd, deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president, is also in the running.