Peter Thiel: PayPal founder, Gawker destroyer… Supreme Court Justice? Not so fast.
All parties are denying a Huffington Post report that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump plans on nominating Thiel to fill the current vacant seat on the Supreme Court, according to Business Insider.
“Peter hasn’t had any conversations about a Supreme Court nomination and has no interest in the job,” said Thiel spokesman Jeremiah Hall. Thiel spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, and has been a staunch Trump supporter.
It’s worth noting that even if Thiel were interested in the job, Trump would have to win the race for the White House and get Thiel approved by the Senate.
The Supreme Court has been down one justice for seven months. President Obama’s nomination of judge Merrick Garland has stalled out, after Senate Republicans vowed not to hold a vote on Garland’s nomination while the President is in office.
Thiel’s position on the First Amendment might make for a problematic Supreme Court justice. Thiel privately funded the Hulk Hogan lawsuit that bankrupted media company Gawker, and has publicly stated he’s proud of having contributed to the flagship site’s demise.
The Fourth Estate reacted to Thiel’s pride with understandable dismay, though the American public didn’t seem to think it boded ill for further freedom of the press.