Sources: Obama has more than 6 people for court

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-14 11:00

WASHINGTON -President Barack Obama is considering a mix of more than six Supreme Court candidates that features women and Hispanics, a group made up of three judges, a governor, his homeland security secretary and his solicitor general.

The new Democratic president is making his first appointment to the court but whomever he chooses, the ideological balance of the highest U.S. judicial body is unlikely to change.

Obama's nominee would replace Justice David Souter, who is part of the court's liberal wing. The court took on a conservative bent as a result of former President George W. Bush's appointments.

Among those under consideration are California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Appeals Court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Pamela Wood.

Sources familiar with Obama's deliberations confirmed the names to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no candidates have been revealed by the White House.

One official cautioned that Obama is considering other people, too, that have not been publicly mentioned. And more names may be added.

Most of the people confirmed as under consideration have been mentioned frequently as potential candidates. Moreno _ the sole man on the known group of candidates _ is a newer name to emerge.

Although several names have surfaced as potential nominees, the confirmation amounts to the first time any name has been directly tied to Obama.

The president is widely expected to choose a woman for a Supreme Court that has nine members but only one female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

He is also under pressure from some Latino officials to name the first U.S. Hispanic justice. Moreno and Sotomayor are Hispanic.

On Wednesday, Obama met with senators who will have huge influence over the pace and tone of the confirmation process.

"I don't envy him the decision, but I think he's going to make it soon," Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, said after the private White House session.