Obama challenges Republicans with vow to nominate Supreme Court pick

By Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday to move ahead with a U.S. Supreme Court nominee and said Republicans would risk public ire if they blocked a qualified candidate for political motives, as well as diminishing the credibility of the high court.

Sources close to the nomination process told Reuters that Nevada Republican Governor Brian Sandoval was one of a few potential nominees being vetted by the White House to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13.

An intense political fight has erupted since Scalia died as Republicans maneuver to foil Obama’s ability to choose a replacement who could tilt the court to the left for the first time in decades. The Senate must confirm any high court nominee.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Will Dunham and Jeff Mason)

Reuters