Naming a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia would be President Barack Obama’s third Supreme Court appointment — joining Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Among the leading candidates would be Sri Srinivasan, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, who was confirmed to the seat in a 97-0 Senate vote in May 2013.
Srinivasan would be the first South Asian-American on the court. He spent five years working in the U.S. Solicitor General’s office under President George W. Bush and two years working in the same office under Obama.
Other contenders from that same court include its chief judge, Merrick Garland, who is well-liked by conservatives and was a finalist for such a nomination when Obama selected Justice Elena Kagan in 2010. Patricia Ann Millett, who won confirmation to the D.C. Circuit in December 2013, may also be considered.
Obama could also look to current or former administration officials, said those familiar with the president’s thinking. Among them are Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Eric Holder, the former attorney general.
Other potential choices could include Democrat Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts, or Paul Smith, who chairs the appellate and Supreme Court practice at Jenner & Block and, if confirmed, would be the first openly gay justice.
Beyond the D.C. Circuit, there are many other appellate judges the president could look to in selecting a nominee. Those include Paul Watford and Mary H. Murguia of the 9th Circuit; Albert Diaz of the 4th Circuit and Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson of the 1st Circuit.
