(Thumbnail Image: The White House) 

President Barack Obama is meeting informally with potential Supreme Court nominees to fill the seat left vacant by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. He also met with Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle to consult with them about his choice. So who will Mr. Obama choose?


On MSNBC, The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza says Mr. Obama will choose whoever he wants, regardless of the Senate meeting.

Cillizza: "This is kind of a courtesy call in truth. Look, this is the president's choice. He's going to choose who he likes best for this, who he thinks is most qualified. But remember this is a confirmation that goes through the Senate, and so the president, and eventually whoever the nominee is, will do a lot of talking to, hand-holding, explaining to, courting of Senators..."

CNN reports a disconnect between who American say they want to replace Stevens, and who they think Mr. Obama will pick.

Anchor: "People expect President Obama to appoint a liberal to the Supreme Court even though it's not what most people want. One in four saying they want the president's pick to be liberal, 37 percent saying moderate and 36 percent would like the nominee to be conservative. As it turns out, what they expect the president to do, 21 percent believe that he'll pick a moderate, 61 percent believe he will appoint a liberal to the Supreme Court."

And a Delaware Online blogger blasts the media for swarming around this court vacancy and leaving out others that are equally important but less visible.

"Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn declared...that he was planning to retire. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens did the same...Both are important men doing important jobs...that exert vast influence over the lives of Americans. Stevens’ announcement was treated as a big deal...Kohn’s? Not so much.

Will Mr. Obama pick a justice that pleases the Senate and the American people? And are we forgetting other important appointments in our excitement about the Supreme Court?

Writer: Elizabeth Eberlin

Producer: Newsy Staff