Practical politico, and woman, sought for court

The nominee’s age and sex are nearly certain to be critical factors in Obama’s selection. Klobuchar is close to Obama in age, celebrating her 49^th birthday in two weeks, while McCaskill will turn 56 this July.

President George W. Bush and his aides made a point of nominating judges who were under 55, in hopes that they’d serve for 30 years or more.

Presidents have frequently nominated friends or candidates with whom they feel a personal affinity.

Five of Franklin Roosevelt's nine nominees were poker buddies, advisers or political lieutenants. Roosevelt chose two senators to serve on the court, both of whom he was personally close to: Hugo Black and James Byrnes.

Two of Harry Truman's nominees, Harold Burton and Sherman Minton, were senators he had served with.

In all, 14 justices served in the Senate before being appointed to the high court.

One of John F. Kennedy’s two Supreme Court picks was his friend, 1960 campaign aide and Deputy Attorney General Byron White, and Lyndon Johnson appointed to the court his trusted adviser, counsel and speechwriter Abe Fortas.

Supreme Court scholar David Yalof, author of "Pursuit of Justices," said, “Personal acquaintanceship or friendship was perhaps the dominant consideration in the selection of justices by Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson, and it was an important consideration for both FDR and Kennedy. By contrast, recent presidents determined to shift the court's jurisprudence in a more conservative direction (Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush) have been willing to abandon friendship as a criteria in favor of ideological criteria.”

While Minnesota has a Republican governor and could fill the vacancy if Klobuchar were appointed, Missouri has a Democratic governor and could replace McCaskill with a Democrat.

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