Iowa judge is being vetted as potential Supreme Court nominee

Iowa judge being vetted as nominee

The White House is vetting Jane L. Kelly, a career public defender-turned federal appellate judge, as a potential nominee for the Supreme Court, as President Obama closes in on a decision that could reshape the court for decades and create an election-year showdown with Republicans.

The FBI has been conducting background interviews on Kelly, 51, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said a person with knowledge of the process to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Kelly won quick and unanimous confirmation by the Senate three years ago to her current post on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Her nomination could intensify pressure on Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa who has vowed against holding a hearing on a nominee.

Meanwhile, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., whose name has been floated as a potential nominee, told MSNBC on Wednesday that she is not being vetted in the process.

News services