President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia is Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
According to National Public Radio, Garland was chosen over two other federal judges on Obama's shortlist.
Here are five things to know about Garland:
1. His age — Garland, at 63, would be the oldest person nominated to the Supreme Court since President Nixon named
Justice Lewis Powell in 1971, according to the website Think Progress.
2. His resume — Before becoming a judge, Garland served in several top posts in the Justice Department, where he oversaw some of the biggest investigations of the Clinton era, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Unabomber case, and the Atlanta Olympics bombing, according to NPR. He is known as a moderate who has found middle ground with both conservatives and liberals.
3. His appointment — Garland joined the D.C. Circuit in 1995, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and was approved by a 76-23 vote after a long Senate delay. He became the
chief judge in 2013, The Washington Post reported.
4. He's been considered before — Garland was reportedly a finalist for Supreme Court nomination two other times during Obama's presidency, but those nominations eventually went to Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
5. He has SCOTUS ties — Garland is two years older than U.S. Supreme Court chief justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has been with the court for more than 10 years, and the two served together on the
D.C. Circuit, according to The New York Times.
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