Trump to announce Supreme Court nominee on July 9

Washington, June 30: US President Donald Trump on Friday, June 29, said he will announce his nominee for a Supreme Court judge on July 9 and that he has narrowed down his search to "about five" individuals, including two women.

Trump also said that he might interview one of two candidates this weekend at his resort in Bedminster in New Jersey, Bloomberg reported. The need for finding a nominee cropped up after Justice Anthony Kennedy, 81, announced his retirement earlier this week.

The second-oldest justice among the nine members of the Supreme Court, Justice Kennedy will retire on July 31.

His retirement gives Trump an opportunity to cement a conservative majority in the apex court, BBC reported, adding that the president's nominee will have to be confirmed by the Senate where his Republican Party has a narrow majority.

A source familiar with the process said White House officials are focused on five federal appeals court judges -- Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge and Amul Thapar, the Bloomberg report added.

Trump also told the media aboard Air Force One that he liked them all but narrowed it down to about five, the report added. The US president was heading to his private golf club in Bedminster.

It was not, however, clear who the other woman might be to feature among the judges, Bloomberg added.

Trump also told the media on his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16. He said he would raise issues like Russia's annexation of Crimea and the Syrian conflict with Putin.