While many do not support the President's choice to nominate someone for the position, Obama is, nonetheless, compiling a list of possible appointees. According to Reuters, Obama has recently narrowed his shortlist down to three people: Sri Srinivasan, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; Paul Watford, a judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals; and Merrick Garland, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
First on the list, Sri Srinivasan, is a judge on the D.C. Court of Appeals. He was born in India and is 49 years old. He attended Stanford Law School and, if appointed, would become the first Asian-American justice and the first Hindu justice. After graduating from law school, Srinivasan worked as a clerk for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He then worked for the Office of the U.S. Solicitor General for several years, later becoming Principal Deputy Solicitor General in 2011.
In 2013, he was confirmed to the D.C. Court of Appeals by a 97-0 vote. As is evident by this, Srinivasan is popular among both Democrats and Republicans, which would make him a prime choice for the nominee. Likewise, he is widely viewed as a moderate. These elements and the fact that he is widely liked in Washington would make it difficult for the Senate to reject his nomination. However, he is also fairly young, which would be a deterrent from his nomination due to how long he would be able to serve as a justice.
Second, Paul Watford is a judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (California). He is originally from Orange County, California and attended UCLA Law School. He is only 48 years old, even younger than Srinivasan, and he would become the third African-American Supreme Court Justice if appointed. Early in his career, Watford served as a clerk for both Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski. He later served as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and worked for Munger, Tolles & Olson, a California-based firm. In 2011, he was nominated to the 9th Circuit Court by President Obama.
His nomination witnessed significant opposition from Senate Republicans, as he was only confirmed by a 61-34 vote.
While Watford is considered a moderate by most, his nomination would likely receive more resistance in the Senate than those of Srinivasan and Garland. Besides this, some criticize his eligibility due to his lack of judicial rulings. Nonetheless, it is clear that Watford would be a solid choice for President Obama due to his respected stature and reasonable nature.
Finally, Merrick Garland, Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, was born in Chicago and attended Harvard Law School. He is 63 years old, making him older than the average Supreme Court appointee. Garland served in the Justice Department for a number of years under President Bill Clinton and as a clerk to Justice William Brennan. In 1997, he was appointed by President Clinton to the D.C. Appeals Court, later becoming the Chief Judge of this court.
Most consider him a judicial moderate; therefore, he could possess a greater chance of being affirmed by the Senate. He also possesses bipartisan popularity, an often key aspect in a nominee for the Supreme Court. Garland is also significantly older than Srinivasan and Watford, which makes him more appealing to Republicans, who do not wish to see a Democratic-leaning justice maintain a position for too long. In total, Garland appears to be a safer nominee for President Obama, yet he is neither as young nor as unique as the other possible nominees.
This nomination could potentially impose a major partisan shift in Washington, which conveys the critical nature of who President Obama chooses as his nominee. Although he is receiving a great amount of resistance, Obama continues to push for the nomination of a ninth Supreme Court justice. Some sources say that his decision may come as early as next week.
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