WASHINGTON – The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says he's inclined against using a filibuster to block President Barack Obama's nominee to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said a deal four yours ago that averted filibusters against some of former President George W. Bush's judicial nominees established a "standard" that shouldn't be discarded except in unusual circumstances. Sessions, however, didn't entirely rule out a filibuster.

Sessions said that Obama assured him in a brief telephone conversation Tuesday that he was not planning to nominate a "bomb-thrower." The senator said he told Obama that Republicans would treat his nominee with respect and said that "we're not going to misrepresent their record."