Everyone remembers Mario Cuomo being mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee when President Clinton was running in 1992. Of course, he was never nominated, but did President Clinton ever offer him a spot? If so, how was that fact made public?
It’s a little hard to imagine any President announcing that, “I have considered Mr. Joe Blow as a nominee for the Supreme Court but decided against it.”
True, but it is possible that Cuomo himself passed up the nomination, then admitted having done so. It is also possible that, while the President never publicly admitted that Cuomo was offered the post but refused it, someone else in his administration did go public with the information.
When a Supreme Court opening occurred, Clinton contacted Cuomo to tell him that, while he would make a good justice, he had decided to appoint someone else. Cuomo said he understood.
This was reported in the press at the time.