Potential Women Nominees for the Supreme Court

NOW is calling on President Obama to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by Justice John Paul Stevens' upcoming retirement. The pool of qualified women is vast. In addition to the high-profile women rumored to be on Obama's "short list," a number of other women's names have been floated in the media. And to help the president widen his search, some of our allies have identified other women he should consider. A woman of color would be an excellent choice, as it would improve the court's racial balance as well.

The following is by no means an exhaustive accounting of qualified women, and NOW has not endorsed any potential nominee at this time, but we offer this list as proof that choosing a woman for the high court should not be difficult.

• Carol Moseley Braun, former senator from Illinois and ambassador to New Zealand
• Margaret Burnham, professor of law at Northeastern University School of Law
• Hillary Clinton, secretary of State (the White House announced she is not under consideration, as the president wishes for her to remain in her key role in the administration)
• Kimberle Crenshaw, professor at UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School
• Dollie Mazie Gee, district judge, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• Jennifer Granholm, governor of Michigan, former federal prosecutor in Detroit
• Lani Guinier, professor of law at Harvard University
• Elaine Jones, former president and director-counsel with NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Elena Kagan, solicitor general of the United States
• Pamela Karlan, professor of Public Interest Law and co-director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law School
• Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota (she has indicated she would turn down an offer to be nominated)
• Martha Minow, dean of Harvard Law School
• Karen Nelson Moore, federal judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• Janet Napolitano, secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, judge, Rhode Island Superior Court
• Judith Rogers, federal judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Leah Ward Sears, former chief justice, Georgia Supreme Court, currently with Schiff Hardin law firm in Atlanta
• Hilary Chandler Tompkins, solicitor (chief general counsel), Department of the Interior
• Elizabeth Warren, professor of Law at Harvard Law School
• Ann Claire Williams, federal judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• Patricia Williams, professor of Law, Columbia Law School
• Diane Wood, federal judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

During the coming days and possibly weeks (until the president announces his choice), NOW will be profiling many of these potential nominees on our Say It, Sister! blog.

Names compiled from sources including: Associated Press, CNN, Legal Momentum, The Nation, National Bar Association, National Minority Law Group, National Partnership for Women & Families, The New York Times, Political Wire, Politico

Read more about NOW's work on the Supreme Court