WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement creates the possibility that President Donald Trump will nominate a Texan for the seat.

Don Willett, a Texas judge serving on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, made Trump's short list of 11 potential nominees before the president selected Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. After Gorsuch's nomination, Trump released an updated list in November 2017 with 25 names, including Willett. Trump told reporters Wednesday that he plans to nominate a justice from that list.

Willett previously served on the Texas Supreme Court. He also shares Trump's affection for Twitter — 108,000 accounts follow his tweets on topics including Texas culinary habits, the Oxford comma and dogs. Willett's account has been dormant since Jan. 1.

One of Willett's tweets about a transgender woman in California drew criticism from some Democratic senators during his 2017 confirmation hearing for the 5th Circuit. He was confirmed on a 50-47 vote.

Go away, A-Rod. “@FoxNews: California's transgender law allows male high schooler to make girls' softball team http://t.co/hnTrWAaV8g" — Judge Don Willett (@JusticeWillett) February 14, 2014

Other senators didn't find fault with his Twitter musings, even praising them.

"You have managed to be humorous and incisive on Twitter without crossing any of the lines — a perilous endeavor for any judge — but with a love of life and a personality that is irrepressible," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said during the hearing.

While Cruz supported Willett's nomination to the 5th Circuit, he endorsed Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for Kennedy's Supreme Court seat in an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday.

Gay rights advocates have criticized Willett for his rulings against same-sex marriage rights — including a unanimous Texas Supreme Court decision in June 2017 that said it's not clear what rights were extended to gay couples after same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday and urged Americans to "make it clear that they will not tolerate a nominee chosen from President Trump's preordained list, selected by powerful special interests who will reverse the progress we've made over the decades."

Both Cruz and Texas Sen. John Cornyn serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings on Trump's nominee to fill Kennedy's spot.