President Donald Trump has announced 20 people he’d consider to be on the U.S Supreme Court if he has to fill another vacancy, and among them is first-term Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Cameron is 34 years old and the first Black person to independently hold statewide office in Kentucky. He is a protégé of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and worked as general counsel in his Senate office.
Trump’s announcement reprises a tactic from his 2016 campaign when he provided a list of potential justices amid controversy over a Supreme Court vacancy.
“Should there be another vacancy on the Supreme Court during my presidency, my nominee will come from the names I have shared with the American public, including the original list and these twenty additions,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Cameron has rocketed to public prominence over the last year — becoming the first Republican Kentucky attorney general since the 1940s and speaking at the Republican National Convention last month.
Trump also endorsed Cameron when he came to Kentucky last fall to stump for the state’s Republican slate of statewide candidates.
Cameron is also overseeing the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, which has dragged on since May.
In a statement, Cameron's wrote that he was honored to be mentioned by the president.
"I remain focused on serving the people of Kentucky and delivering on my promise to tackle child abuse, human trafficking, the drug epidemic, and other public safety challenges throughout the Commonwealth," Cameron wrote.
"Over the last several years, President Trump and Leader McConnell have worked together to confirm more than 200 federal judges, transforming our judiciary and ensuring the rule of law is upheld for generations."
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Cameron released a statement over Twitter about the investigation into Taylor's death, which has drawn intense speculation.
“When the investigation concludes and a decision is made, we will provide an update about an announcement. The news will come from our office and not unnamed sources. Until that time, the investigation remains ongoing,” Cameron wrote.
Cameron grew up in Elizabethtown and played football at the University of Louisville, graduating with degrees in political science and law.
Cameron worked for McConnell in the Senate from 2015 until 2017, helping oversee the U.S. Supreme confirmation process of now-Justice Neil Gorsuch.
He moved to Louisville and practiced law at Frost Brown Todd until he ran for attorney general in 2019.
As majority leader of the Senate, McConnell has been a key player in Trump’s nomination of federal judges. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court — Merrick Garland —holding it open during the presidential campaign.
Since Trump’s election McConnell has prioritized confirming federal judges and justices. As of this summer, Trump has appointed nearly 200 federal judges with lifetime appointments.
This story has been updated.