They include Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Merrick Garland, chief judge on the same court, and Judge Paul Watford of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a source familiar with the selection process who would not be named discussing the private deliberations. The President has been interviewing candidates and the process was nearing the final stages, said one of the sources.
Advertisement
The survey found nearly unanimous awareness of the death of Justice Scalia, strong support for originalist intent in interpreting the Constitution, and concern over President Obama appointing a liberal justice who would tip the ideological balance of the court. Senate Republicans have vowed not to hold confirmation hearings or an up-or-down vote on any nominee picked by the Democratic president for the lifetime position on the court.
Obama responded to Thursday’s Senate clash by repeating his assertion that the Constitution clearly states a nomination should be made – and that Republicans opposing such a move are behaving in a hypocritical manner.
Democrats warned of chaos from a deadlocked 4-4 Supreme Court, which could leave in effect conflicting appeals court rulings in different parts of the country. “I voted for Sotomayor and Kagan not because I would have picked them, but because I thought the president of the United States deserves the right to pick judges of their philosophy, and that goes with winning the White House”, he said.
Srinivasan, 49, was born in India and earned a degree from Stanford as well as its law and MBA. On its website, the legislative arm of the National Rifle Association links readers to an article titled “Justice Barack Obama?” suggesting that scenario should Democrat Hillary Clinton become president.
“I’m going to do my job”, Obama said, promising an “eminently qualified” nominee.
The list also shows the president considering whether to add racial or gender diversity to the court. Republicans insist that they will only confirm a nominee who is chosen by the next president. Adalberto J. Jordan, 54, a judge on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, is no longer a contender for the high court.
Advertisement
Watford would be only the third African-American to serve on the high court after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. Soon, Thomas was standing across the street from the federal courthouse, where he was an appellate judge, waiting to catch a ride to the Justice Department. Wall describes himself as a freelance writer with “38 years of experience reporting and commenting on political actions”, and he describes the current situation “as one of the worst displays of a political party trying to pack the Supreme Court”. An Obama appointment could tilt the court to the left for the first time in decades. He returns to Washington late on Saturday.
