Obama's Supreme Court Short List
With confirmation today of Chicago federal appeals court Judge Ann Williams, below is the latest working short list of potential Supreme Court nominees.
All have been confirmed by the White House, but some are highly unlikely to make the final cut. Williams, for example, will be 61 this summer. And although she has a compelling life story as a former Detroit school teacher and was the first African American on the Chicago-based federal appeals court, she is generally not considered a judicial superstar.
And chances are slim that an elected official -- someone who's been through the rough-and-tumble world of politics -- will get the nod, administration sources say. In this hyper-charged political environment, the White House doesn't want the risk of potential distractions from even minor ethics allegations because of a candidate's campaign contributions, fundraising or political allies. Leah Ward Sears, for example, was hit with ethics charges after she accepted improper contributions during her 2004 campaign for the Georgia Supreme Court.
- Martha Minow, dean of Harvard Law School
- Elena Kagan, Solicitor General, former Harvard Law dean
- Sid Thomas, Montana federal appeals court judge
- Merrick Garland, federal appeals court judge, Washington DC
- Jennifer Granholm, Michigan governor
- Diane Wood, Chicago-based federal appeals court
- Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security
- Leah Ward Sears, former Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court
- Ann Claire Williams, federal appeals court judge, Chicago
Watch Jan Crawford Talk About the Supreme Court Choices on "Washington Unplugged" Below:
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