U.S. President Barack Obama has officially begun vetting potential Supreme Court nominees to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, the White House confirmed Friday. Obama reviewed documents as he takes a positive step towards making the crucial appointment.
"The president's team, over the course of this week, has spent a lot of time preparing materials for the president's review, and I would expect, over the weekend, that the president will begin to dig into the materials that have been prepared for him," White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told reporters, as noted by Reuters.
The White House has mostly kept mum about who Obama might pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy vacancy, but Earnest revealed that the potential nominees will be weighed based on their career accomplishments and judicial experience.
Justice Scalia's death has left the Supreme Court's ideological balance at stake with four conservative and four liberal justices. For the first time in decades, Obama's nominee could create a more left-leaning high court.
Vice President Joe Biden is of the opinion that President Obama should select a non-ideological nominee as opposed to a strong liberal.
The Washington Post reported that Biden said whoever Obama may choose has to be "intellectually competent, is a person of high moral character, is a person who is demonstrated to have an open mind, and is a person who doesn't come with a specific agenda.
President Barack Obama has phoned Senate leaders, including Republicans who have expressed opposition towards Obama's Supreme Court nomination. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell previously stated that the post should remain vacant until a new president has taken office.
According to Time, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, however, thinks it is best for Obama to jumpstart the nomination process as soon as possible.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said it is likely Obama may announce his pick in the next three weeks or so.
