Who Might Be Nominated?

J. Harvie Wilkinson III

He sits on the highly conservative Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. Courtly and personable, Wilkinson, 60, is probably confirmable. But naming a white male to the bench wouldn't give Bush a historic first.

J. Michael Luttig

Appointed by the first President Bush in 1991, he serves with Wilkinson on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, but he is more independent and hard-line. One advantage: at age 50 he is a decade younger than his colleague.

John Roberts

Put on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by Bush, Roberts, 49, was once a Rehnquist clerk and later, in private practice, argued many cases before the Supreme Court. A highly regarded judge, he could have bipartisan support.

Theodore B. Olson

Serving as Bush's Solicitor General until recently, Olson, 64, is smart, conservative and well regarded. He represented the President's side in Bush v. Gore in 2000. His wife Barbara was killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Janice Rogers Brown

Her nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals was blocked by Democrats, so Brown, 55, could face confirmation problems again. The first African-American woman to serve on California's supreme court, she is against abortion rights.