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Among the
interviewees are Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia; Judge Sri Srinivasan of
the same court; Judge Paul Watford of the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals based in San Francisco; Judge Jane Kelly of the 8th
Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis; and U.S. District
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves in Washington, D.C., NPR
reported.
The first three of these individuals are considered the leading
contenders, NPR said.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch earlier on Tuesday asked not
to be considered as a nominee, the Justice Department said in a
statement. Lynch had been rumored to be under consideration.
The process of filling the spot that was held by Scalia, one of
the court's most conservative justices, has ignited a partisan
battle in Washington.
Republicans who control the U.S. Senate do not want to see the
court shift ideologically to the left and have said they will
not hold a vote on Obama's nominee. All appointees by the
president to the Supreme Court are subject to approval by the
Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the next Supreme
Court justice should be chosen by the winner of the Nov. 8
presidential election.
(Reporting by Eric Walsh and Julia Edwards; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
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