On Tuesday, the US Justice Department confirmed that current Attorney General Loretta Lynch has asked President Obama not to consider her as a potential candidate for the empty Supreme Court seat left behind by Antonin Scalia, who passed away last month. ‘Given the urgent issues before the Department of Justice, she asked not to be considered for the position,’ confirmed a DoJ spokesperson, adding that ‘[Ms Lynch] is fully committed to carrying out the work of the Department of Justice for the remainder of her term.’
Prior to Tuesday’s confirmation that Ms Lynch is voluntarily out of the running, she was believed by many to be a potential frontrunner for the position. Not only is Ms Lynch highly regarded within the Obama administration, but her appointment as Attorney General garnered bipartisan support—a crucial credential given the partisan nightmare President Obama will likely face in attempting to have any candidate cleared by the Republican-controlled Senate before his term concludes in January.
Appointing Ms Lynch to the Supreme Court would have also made history, as she would have become the first black woman to ever serve on the nation’s highest bench. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had reportedly campaigned for Ms Lynch to become President Obama’s nominee.
According to reporting in The Washington Post, five other judges are currently under consideration for the role. They are Sri Srinivasan and Patricia Millett of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Jane Kelly of the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, Paul Watford of the California-based US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and Ketanji Brown Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Sources: Fortune; International Business Times; The Washington Post
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