From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Leah Ward Sears, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, is once again on the short list to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sears, 54, was among those considered to replace Justice David Souter, who retired in June 2009. President Barack Obama wound up selecting Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a federal appeals court judge from New York.
Sears’ name now is among more than half a dozen candidates being considered by the president to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who is retiring this summer.
Others being considered by the White House include federal appeals court judges Diane Wood of Chicago, Sidney Thomas of Montana and Merrick Garland of Washington, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. A number of news organizations reported last week that Wood, Garland and Kagan are the leading candidates.
Obama is expected to name a nominee within a few weeks to replace Stevens, who is retiring at the end of the high court’s term.
Sears retired from the Georgia Supreme Court last June to teach, work for a think tank and join the Atlanta office of Schiff Harden, a law firm headquartered in Chicago. Sears was out of the country Monday and unavailable for comment.
