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President Barack Obama
Evan Vucci – Pool/Getty Images
President Barack Obama is down to three finalists for the open seat on the Supreme Court and is expected to make a decision as soon as next week, according a report by the Washington Post.
The Post, citing people with knowledge of the vetting process, say that the three include Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Sri Srinivasan, a judge on the same court; and Paul Watford, a judge on the California-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
The three finalists—all men—are said to bring a wealth of experience to the court.
Srinivasan, 49, was born in India and emigrated as a young child with his family to Kansas. A Stanford Law graduate, he would be the high court’s first Asian American. He was nominated in May 2013 to be a judge on the Washington-based appeals court. The Senate confirmed him, 97 to 0.
Garland, 63, was reportedly considered by President Obama for a previous Supreme Court vacancy. Garland grew up in Chicago and graduated from Harvard Law School. He was appointed to the federal circuit court in April 1997 and became chief judge in February 2013.
Watford, 48, grew up in Orange County, Calif., and graduated from the UCLA School of Law. He was appointed by President Obama to the federal appeals court in May 2012 after a Senate confirmation vote of 61 to 34. He is African American, and the youngest of the group.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch took herself out of consideration for the Supreme Court last week.
Senate Republicans—including Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio—have vowed to stop President Obama from nominating anyone to fill the sudden Supreme Court vacancy left by the sudden death of the late Antonin Scalia, arguing that the process should wait until the next president is elected.
Yet, the president has vowed that he will put forth a name for consideration. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more at the Washington Post.
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