Conservatives have been deciding whether to support Donald Trump’s candidacy for president, and one of the biggest concerns has been the future of the Supreme Court. As part of his efforts to assuage such concerns, on Wednesday Trump released a list of 11 names whom, he said, represent the kind of judges he would appoint.

Justice Thomas’ courageous example and mentoring have clearly influenced these clerks profoundly.

It’s enough to make any constitutionalist blush.

All 11 have solid credentials as faithful interpreters of the law. All are sitting judges. Six sit on federal appellate courts and five sit on state supreme courts, including three former law professors. And all 11 have track records that evidence a deep commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law.

Digging deeper into their details, we see some important trends. Most notably, there’s what we might call the “Thomas Effect.” Three of the judges on Trump’s list are former clerks to Justice Clarence Thomas, whom Trump has previously named as his favorite Supreme Court justice. Justice Thomas is well-known for writing opinions — including many dissents — urging the courts to interpret the laws and the Constitution as written. Justice Thomas’ courageous example and mentoring have clearly influenced these clerks profoundly, since all of them are equally unapologetic about their willingness to faithfully interpret the law.

Trump also left out numerous well-connected D.C. insiders. The most famous D.C. lawyers — many of whom spend their days polishing their gold-plated credentials and remaining scrupulously silent on controversial legal issues — are conspicuously absent from this list. Their absence should encourage conservatives who have become increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of justices nominated from the Acela corridor. Instead, Trump’s list includes judges from around the country — Utah, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, and elsewhere — with experience serving on a wide variety of state and federal courts. By looking outside the Beltway — way outside the Beltway — Trump has identified judges who have outstanding educational and professional accomplishment but don’t run in Washington’s cliques.

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One other notable characteristic among the judges on the list: They can take the heat. Judging often requires making hard decisions, and the natural temptation is often to manipulate the law to get a preferred outcome instead of one required by law. But the men and women on this list have already passed that test. For example, Trump included Judge Diane Sykes of the 7th Circuit, who ran for her first judicial office as a constitutional conservative long before it was popular in Wisconsin. Sykes has proven her bona fides over and over, even faithfully upholding the Second Amendment right to bear arms against opposition from the City of Chicago.

Moreover, each of these judges has a substantial paper trail telling us that they will stick to their principles over the long haul. Judge William Pryor, whom Trump identified in a debate several months ago, was open about his views on controversial issues, even though he knew that the Democrats would filibuster his confirmation for it. These judges couldn’t wriggle away from their judicial philosophies if they wanted to.

And that’s the real beauty of this particular list: None of the judges on this list want to avoid hard questions. Although pulling together a list now is very different from seeing any one of these excellent candidates through to confirmation, conservatives who care about the Constitution and the rule of law have much to celebrate. Trump’s list is an encouraging sign that he is taking seriously that most important of presidential powers: the power to nominate justices to the Supreme Court.

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Carrie Severino is chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network.