Merrick Garland, Supreme Court nominee?

Merrick Garland has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since 1997. His nomination languished under the Republican-controlled Senate, for reasons that had little to do with him personally. He is a favorite of the Washington legal establishment, widely praised by lawyers and other judges for his well-reasoned and generally moderate opinions. His opinion last summer upholding a Guantanamo Bay detainee's appeal was joined by a very conservative colleague.

Garland has had two stints in private practice, and served as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992. From 1994 until his appointment to the bench, he worked at the Justice Department, where he supervised prosecution of the Oklahoma City bombing.

National Journal describes him as the easiest of the top potential nominees to confirm, "by far."

In anonymous surveys of lawyers arguing before him, he has won glowing reviews as highly intelligent, open-minded, evenhanded, fair to all parties, and extraordinarily clear and thorough in his opinions.

But, they ask, "Would Obama choose a white male nominee who seems clearly less liberal than Stevens?"