President Barack Obama has narrowed down his nomination for Supreme Court Justice to three top contenders, hoping to allure both Democrats and Republicans, The New York Times reports.
Federal appeals court judges, Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Merrick Garland of the same court and Paul Watford, 9th U.S. Court of Appeals in California, are up for the nomination that will be announced as soon as this week. Allies to the president which include political director, David Simas, and three former senior White House officials, told reporters Obama’s choice will have “impeccable credentials,” that will please the hasty Republican party.
Shortly after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia last month, Senate Republicans have promised to block confirmation hearings for any nominee until the next president takes office next year. Heavily relying on the notion that a Republican will be elected to the Oval Office, the party is hoping to fill the lifetime position with another conservative judge.
Obama previously told reporters the pick “should be a consensus candidate” that the left cannot tear down.
Srinivasan, 49, was born in India and raised in Kanas. He has received high praise for his work on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If elected, he would be the first Indian-American, Asian-American and Hindu judge on the Supreme Court. Garland, 63, has fans on both the Dems and Republican side. He previously worked for the Justice Department under the Clinton administration before he won his confirmation in a 76-23 vote.
Watford, 48, won his Senate confirmation 61-34 in 2012. If elected, he would be the third black justice following Clarence Thomas and the late Thurgood Marshall. Srinivasan is the only potential nominee to have a unanimous 97-0 vote by the Senate.
Currently, the Supreme Court is divided into four liberals and four conservates. If Obama is able to elect a nominee before his presidency ends, a left court will be present for the first time in years.