The following summarizes recent news coverage related to President Obama's search for a Supreme Court nominee to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

~ D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland: If Garland is nominated, he is not expected to prompt strong conservative opposition, but he could face objection from the left that he is "not liberal enough to replace the legendary Stevens," the Washington Post reports. A "small but vocal group" of liberal advocates say Garland "is a centrist who won't champion liberal concerns, too often finds middle ground with his conservative colleagues" on the D.C. Circuit court and has shown deference to President Bush's policies regarding Guantanamo Bay, according to the Post. However, many other groups from both sides of the political spectrum support Garland (Leonnig, Washington Post, 4/23).

~ Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.): Granholm, who is believed to be a contender for the nomination, told CNN's "State of the Union" that she would be an "unconventional" choice, Roll Call reports. Granholm said, "It's a great honor to be considered on the list, but there are other great people on the list." She added, "I think it's a very wise decision to move to consider experience that's not from the judicial monastery" of federal judges (Bruno, Roll Call, 4/25).

~ "Ordinary Americans": Obama and other Democrats repeatedly have called for a nominee who will uphold laws that protect "ordinary Americans," the Washington Post reports. Obama has said he would select a justice who "knows that in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens" and who has a "keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people." However, none of the three candidates believed to be the top contenders -- Garland, U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan or Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Diane Wood -- "would seem to embody" Obama's requirement that a new justice closely understand how laws affect "ordinary" citizens, according to the Post (Barnes/Kornblut, Washington Post, 4/26).

~ Senate Judiciary Committee: President Obama has completed calls to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to solicit their input on Stevens' replacement, Roll Call reports. On Thursday, Obama spoke with Democratic Sens. Benjamin Cardin (Md.), Russ Feingold (Wis.), Al Franken (Minn.), Ted Kaufman (Del.) and Herb Kohl (Wis.) and Republican Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Cornyn (Texas) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa). The president spoke with the nine other committee members on Wednesday (Bendery, Roll Call, 4/23).

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