US President Barack Obama has
narrowed his choice to fill the nation's Supreme Court vacancy down to three
judges, The Washington Post reported.
The president is considering
DC-based Merrick Garland and Sri Srinivasan, and California-based Paul Watford,
the Post said late Friday, citing people familiar with the vetting process.
Much is at stake in the
struggle over who will replace Antonin Scalia, the conservative justice who
died unexpectedly February 13 -- and whose successor could potentially tip the
court towards a liberal majority.
Republicans in the Senate,
which must approve any nomination, say it should be left to the next president
to choose the new justice, while Obama says it is his constitutional duty to
act now.
A favorite of Washington's
legal establishment, Garland, chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit, came to prominence by prosecuting the case of
anarchist Ted Kacynski, known as the "Unabomber", and the 1995
Oklahoma City bombing.
Srinivasan, a highly respected
appellate judge from the same court as Garland, is of Indian origin and would
be the first Asian-American justice if nominated and approved.
And Watford is a judge on the
US Court of Appeals for the 9th Court, in California.
On Friday White House spokesman
Josh Earnest said Obama's announcement would "not necessarily" be
made before he leaves for his landmark trip to Cuba just over a week from now.