Judges Alito, Luttig reportedly top new Supreme Court short list News
Judges Alito, Luttig reportedly top new Supreme Court short list

[JURIST] Federal appellate judges Samuel Alito and Michael Luttig [US News profiles] are reportedly at the top of President Bush's list of possible US Supreme Court nominees to replace the withdrawn Harriet Miers [JURIST news archive] as the President reconsiders the nomination at Camp David this weekend. Republicans have said Bush's short list is similar to the one he reviewed before he chose Miers and includes "highly credentialed, solidly conservative" judges. Conservatives are looking for a pick with judicial philosophies similar to Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and Alito and Luttig seem to fit that mold. Alito, a judge on the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals [official website], has often been compared to Scalia, even earning the nickname "Scalito," while Luttig, a US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals [official website] judge, worked for Scalia as a clerk. An anonymous source said that Bush is not planning to make a decision based on avoiding a battle with Democrats, despite receiving a letter [text] from Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [official websites] warning him not to pick "an activist who would bring an ideological agenda to the Court." Bush is expected to reveal his choice in the next few days. Reuters has more.