Who will replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Amy Coney Barrett, Barbara Lagoa & others on Trump’s SCOTUS seat shortlist

WITH the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday, questions have already been raised as to who will fill the "notorious" justice's shoes.

As Democrats and Republicans debate over whether Donald Trump should nominate a pick during the election year – with November 3 just weeks away – the president has already revealed a shortlist of possible nominees.

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Trump said at a rally in North Carolina on Saturday he will choose a female as his pick for the next Supreme Court justice – and a few names are reportedly at the top of the list.

Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa are said to be among the top contenders as the next SCOTUS justice nominee.

Who is Amy Coney Barrett?

Amy Coney Barrett, 48, was raised in New Orleans, reported.

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She graduated Notre Dame University Law School, and clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia.

She taught at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana for 15 years, before being appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 2017, reported.

Barrett is a devout Catholic, and is strongly anti-abortion.

She said, however, she "would never impose my own personal convictions upon the law," The Post reported.

Speaking of Barrett, Trump said she is "very highly respected."

Who is Barbara Lagoa?

Barbara Lagoa is a 52-year-old Cuban American who sits on the US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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She graduated form Florida International University, and went to Columbia University Law School, according to .

Lagoa had her own private practice from 1992-2003, before serving as the Assistant US attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

She was appointed a judge in Florida's Third District Court of Appeal, and in 2019, was appointed Chief judge.

In 2019, Lagoa began serving as a Justice on Florida's Supreme Court.

Lagoa now sits as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Although Trump does not personally know Lagoa, when he departed the White House for a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Saturday, he said he's "heard incredible things about her," reported.

Who else is on Trump's shortlist?

Trump previously released a list of 25 potential picks for a Supreme Court justice vacancy.

On September 9, he added 20 more names to the list, bringing the total to 45.

Speaking with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Trump indicated favor for Barrett and Lagoa, sources told .

Allison Jones Rushing, who served as a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, is also up for consideration, the Associated Press reported.

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Trump's list of potential SCOTUS picks

On September 9, Trump released a list of 20 additional people he might nominate to the Supreme Court if there was a vacancy, on top of 25 people previously named

1. Bridget Bade, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
2. Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
3. Keith Blackwell, a justice of the Georgia Supreme Court
4. Daniel Cameron, Kentucky's attorney general
5. Charles Canady, a Florida Supreme Court justice
6. Paul Clement, a partner with Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
7. Steven Colloton, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
8. Tom Cotton, US senator from Arkansas
9. Ted Cruz, US senator from Texas
10. Stuart Kyle Duncan, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
11. Allison Eid, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
12. Steven Engel, the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice
13. Noel Francisco, the US solicitor general until July
14. Britt Grant, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
15. Raymond Gruender, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
16. Thomas Hardiman, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
17. Josh Hawley, a US senator from Missouri
18. James Ho, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
19. Gregory Katsas, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
20. Raymond Kethledge, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
21. Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
22. Christopher Landau, the US ambassador to Mexico
23. Joan Larsen, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
24. Mike Lee, a US senator from Utah
25. Thomas Lee, a justice on the Supreme Court of Utah
26. Edward Mansfield, a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
27. Federico Moreno, a federal judge in Florida
28. Carlos Muniz, a justice on the Florida Supreme Court
29. Kevin Newsom, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
30. Martha Pacold, a federal judge in Illinois
31. Peter Phipps, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
32. Sarah Pitlyk, a federal judge in Missouri
33. William Pryor, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
34. Allison Jones Rushing, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
35. Margaret Ryan, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
36. David Stras, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
37. Diane Sykes, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
38. Amul Thapar, a judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
39. Kate Todd, deputy counsel to Trump
40. Timothy Tymkovich, chief judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
41. Lawrence VanDyke, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
42. Don Willett, a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
43. Patrick Wyrick, a judge on the Supreme Court of Oklahoma
44. Robert Young, chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court

Sources told that Kate Todd – who works as the deputy assistant to and deputy counsel to the president – is also on the list.

As Trump said a female would be his top pick, at least one male –  Judge Amul Thapar – was also said to be up for consideration, The Associated Press reported.

Although there is debate over whether a SCOTUS justice nomination should be picked by a president with just 45 days to the election,

How are the Supreme Court justices appointed?

A president nominates a candidate to be a Supreme Court justice.

The nominee then goes through a confirmation hearing with the Senate.

After the nominees' hearings, a judge is confirmed by the Senate.

What happened to Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

87, the Supreme Court said in a .

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She succumbed to a battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The justice was surrounded by her family at the time of her death.

Ginsburg revealed in a in mid-July that she began chemotherapy again two months before as she had a recurrence of cancer.

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Days before her death, Ginsburg told her granddaughter Clara Spera she does not want her seat on the Supreme Court filled until a new president is in office," reported.

"My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," Ginsburg said.