Supreme Court Short List Looks Like America

Hillary Clinton may not be on Supreme Court short list—assuming Robert Gibbs isn't fibbing—but those who are make up a diverse bunch. Of the eight names offered by the White House, maybe four are serious candidates (Elena Kagan, Diane Wood, Merrick Garland, and probably newcomer Sidney Thomas), with the rest dark horses designed to appeal to various constituencies, one analyst tells the Wall Street Journal.

Leah Ward Sears, former chief justice in Georgia, would have the distinction of being the first black female justice, while Thomas ("a moderate, perhaps just left of center," says a colleague) would be the only non-Ivy Leaguer on the current court. Two politicians remain, Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, along with another woman, Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow.
(More Elana Kagan stories.)