Obama is reportedly vetting a federal appeals judge from Grassley's home state for SCOTUS
The Obama administration is reportedly vetting a federal appeals judge from Iowa for a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The judge, Jane Kelly of the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, had the backing of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during her 2013 confirmation hearing, the New York Times reports. The Times report on Kelly’s vetting is based on an anonymous source.
Kelly, 51, is a former public defender who was nearly killed more than 15 years ago in an attack while jogging in Cedar Rapids. Police were unable to solve the crime. She graduated from Harvard Law School at the same time as President Obama, according to the Des Moines Register. She was confirmed unanimously to the federal appeals court in 2013.
SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein included Kelly on his list of potential nominees from federal appeals courts.
Grassley told the Times that he won’t hold hearings on a Kelly nomination, though he hoped she would be on a short list of potential Supreme Court nominees for a future Democratic president. Grassley defended his decision against hearings, saying, “It has got to be the process, and the person doesn’t matter, see.”
Hat tip to How Appealing.
Name of Harvard Law School corrected at 8:55 a.m.
