Eliza Collins, and David Jackson

USA TODAY

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, released an all-white list of 11 conservative judges as potential Supreme Court picks Wednesday.

Trump said his list is "based on constitutional principles, with input from highly respected conservatives and Republican Party leadership."

The potential nominee also include the ex-wife of a Trump critic and a Texas judge who has mocked the presumptive Republican nominee on Twitter.

Three of the names — Steven Colloton of Iowa, Diane Sykes of Wisconsin, and William Pryor of Alabama — are federal appeals court judges appointed by the last Republican president, George W. Bush, and have long been discussed as potential high court picks by the next GOP chief executive.

Sykes is the ex-wife of Charlie Sykes, a conservative Wisconsin talk show host who criticized Trump during the state's presidential primary held April 5.

Three other judges in the group also sit on federal appeals courts, and were appointed by Bush: Raymond Gruender of Missouri, Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania, and Raymond Kethledge of Michigan.

The list includes five members of various state courts: Allison Eid of Colorado, Joan Larsen of Michigan, Thomas Lee of Utah, David Stras of Minnesota, and Don Willett of Texas.

Willett, like Trump, is a Twitter user and has been known to make fun of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "Can't wait till Trump rips off his face Mission Impossible-style & reveals a laughing Ruth Bader Ginsburg," Willett said in one tweet, referring to a current member of the Supreme Court.

Jurists on Trump's list have questioned Supreme Court decisions affirming abortion and gay marriage rights, and tend to favor business interests.

The potential nominees also hail from states Trump hopes to carry in the November general election.

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The Supreme Court is a major election issue in the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia's death in February. President Obama has nominated appeals judge Merrick Garland to fill Scalia's slot, but Senate Republicans have delayed any confirmation hearings or votes in order to await results of the November general election.

Scalia "did not believe in legislating from the bench and he is a person whom I held in the highest regard and will always greatly respect his intelligence and conviction to uphold the Constitution of our country," Trump said in a statement. "The following list of potential Supreme Court justices is representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value."

Trump did not make a specific commitment to pick any names on the list, saying that, "as president, I plan to use this list as a guide."

A leader of the Supreme Court's conservative bloc, Scalia often made the difference in contentious cases decided on 5-4 votes. His replacement could determine the ideological direction of the high court for years.

Trump had said back in March he would take the unprecedented step of releasing the names of judicial nominees in order to allay concerns among conservative groups about his commitment to their cause.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, praised Trump for "an impressive list of highly qualified jurists."

Conservative groups also gave Trump's judicial prospects an initial positive review. "This list ought to be encouraging to anyone who prioritizes the rule of law," said Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director for the Judicial Crisis Network.

Last week Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus — who has gotten behind Trump — said that more people may get behind him if he released a list of conservative options for the Supreme Court, with suggestions from organizations like the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.

"It’s about a conservative Supreme Court for generations," Priebus said.

As expected, progressive groups were not thrilled with Trump’s picks.

The Democratic National Committee sent out a list of all of Willett’s tweets making fun of Trump. And the progressive group People for the American Way issued a statement calling the prospect of Trump nominating a justice “deeply disturbing.”

"The prospect of Trump appointing a justice to the Supreme Court is deeply concerning, and his list only exemplifies how dangerous a Trump presidency would be,” Executive Vice President Marge Baker said in a statement. “Trump’s list includes some of the most extreme judges in the country who would push partisan priorities instead of following the Constitution."

The Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, a progressive advocacy group, released a statement on the record of some of Trump's options.

"Taken together, the records of these potential Trump nominees reflect a radical-right ideology that threatens fundamental rights, and that favors the powerful over everyone else, especially people from historically marginalized communities," President Nan Aron said in the statement.

Trump's list did not include some names that conservative groups had bandied about in recent weeks, including two GOP senators: Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, who opposed Trump in the recent Republican primaries.