Feb. 24, 2016 (UPI) — It was always going to be a fight. Two Obama Supreme Court nominees already are serving on the nation’s highest court, and the last thing Republicans want is for him to have the opportunity to name a third.
With the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Obama’s now got an opportunity to turn the court from conservative to liberal. Republicans in the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate have vowed to ignore him, preferring to wait for a new president – maybe a Republican – in January.
Here’s a look at seven potential Obama nominees who could change the direction of the court for the next 30 years.
Sri Srinivasan
Srinivasan, 48, clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, is considered a good friend by Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to his current seat on the D.C. Circuit Court. Mentioned by the Wall Street Journal as a potential replacement for Scalia, Srinivasan is considered a moderate and would make history by becoming the first Indian-American Supreme Court Justice.
Patricia Ann Millett
Merrick Garland
Garland, 63, identified by USA Today as a possible replacement for Justice Scalia, was appointed to the D.C. Circuit Court by President Bill Clinton in 1997, where he’s served as Chief Judge since 2013. A decade older than typical nominees, he is considered a moderate and therefore, a possible compromise candidate.
Paul Watford
Watford, 48, according to NPR is another potential nominee regarded as a moderate. He has clerked for conservative 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski as well as liberal stalwart Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He was nominated by President Obama for his current position on the 9th Circuit in 2011 and confirmed by a 61-34 vote in 2012.
Jacqueline Nguyen
Nguyen, 50, is a Vietnamese-American, who like Watford, sits on the 9th Circuit. Acknowledged by the New York Times as being one to keep an eye on, her confirmations to both the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California as well as the 9th Circuit were fairly painless. In both instances, she was nominated by President Obama.
Kannon Shanmugam
Shanmugam, 43, is a former clerk of Justice Antonin Scalia and a member of the Federalist Society. Mentioned by NPR as being on Obama’s shortlist, Shanmugam has no judicial experience, though he has argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court.
Brian Sandoval
