|
 "We are still in a position where the list is not closed at this
point," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters during a
briefing. "There are still people being considered for inclusion on
the list of people that the president may consider for filling a
Supreme Court vacancy."
The White House has not officially revealed its list of potential
picks to replace Scalia. Earnest said he did not expect a nominee
would be named before President Barack Obama meets with
congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the
matter.
Scalia's death left the court with four conservative and four
liberal justices, meaning that Obama's nominee could tip the balance
of the court to the left for the first time in decades.
Republicans, who control the Senate, have said the seat should
remain vacant until Obama's successor takes office next January so
voters could have a say in the selection when they choose a new
president in the Nov. 8 election. But Obama has vowed to press ahead
with nominating a justice.
Earnest said the White House would seek the help of former
administration officials to coordinate outside activist groups in
the fight over filling the vacancy.
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The New York Times first reported on Friday that the administration
was recruiting former Obama adviser Stephanie Cutter and former
White House director of legislative affairs Katie Beirne Fallon to
help in its campaign.
"We are going to draw on their contacts, and on the work they're
doing outside the administration to help us make the case, and
organize the effort around the president's constitutional
responsibility to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court," Earnest
said.
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