[JURIST] US Sen. Arlen Specter [official website], chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website], asked President Bush Wednesday to delay nominating a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor [Oyez profile]. Specter's announcement came after leading senators met with President Bush to suggest possible nominations [AP report]. Specter said he spoke with O'Connor, who is willing to remain on the court through the upcoming term ending in June. Specter believes the delay would give the county time to adjust to John Roberts [JURIST news archive] as Chief Justice. The Judiciary Committee will vote on Roberts' nomination on Thursday, with a full Senate vote following next week. Many names have been mentioned as O'Connor's replacement, and there is pressure on Bush to nominate a woman or a minority. Bloomberg has more.