Bush narrows Supreme Court list

Judges, lawyers being considered, analysts say

President Bush, nearing the end of his search for a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has whittled his list to a handful of candidates and could announce his decision by week's end.

"We have been listening to the views and ideas of members of the Senate, and the president will take those into account as he makes a decision about who should fill that vacancy," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Tuesday.

Bush is expected to announce his nominee quickly after Thursday's anticipated confirmation and swearing in of John Roberts as chief justice, the president's first pick for the nation's top court.

Bush advisers have consulted with nearly 70 senators, including 17 members of the 18-member Judiciary Committee, McClellan said. He declined to list people the president has interviewed or discuss his list of favorites.

Legal analysts monitoring the selection process, however, say the list has been narrowed to less than 10 candidates, mostly federal appellate judges and a few individuals who have never worn a judicial robe.

Often mentioned are federal appellate judges Alice Batchelder, J. Michael Luttig, Edith Jones, J. Harvie Wilkinson, Priscilla Owen, Samuel Alito, Karen Williams and Michael McConnell.

Also said to be under consideration are corporate attorney Larry Thompson, White House counsel Harriet Miers, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Bush hinted Monday he might choose a woman or minority member, but some outside advisers were intrigued by another part of his comments. The president said he had interviewed and considered people from "all walks of life."

"It could be someone outside of the legal judicial field like a Larry Thompson, or it could be a senator," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, a public interest legal group founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson.

Sekulow said he's heard Miers' name mentioned "fairly significantly" during the past two days. She doesn't have judicial experience, but she's a "well-respected lawyer -- someone the president trusts."

Two other judicial activists, including one with contacts at the White House, said they too had heard Miers' name mentioned, but agreed with Sekulow, who cautioned, "I don't think anybody has that crystal ball but the president."