Sri Srinivasan, D.C. Circuit Court Of Appeals

The general consensus is that 48-year-old Sri Srinivasan is at the top of the list of potential nominees. He is considered a moderate and a strong choice if Obama wants to pressure Senator Mitch McConnell to allow a Senate confirmation vote.

Srinivasan is the son of immigrants: He was born in India and came with his family to the United States in the late 1960s after his parents took teaching jobs in Kansas. He clerked for conservative appeals court judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III and Sandra Day O’Connor. He served as chief deputy to the U.S. solicitor general.

Srinivasan was nominated by President Obama and confirmed to the federal bench by the Senate in May 2013 by a 97-0 vote.

If Srinivasan were nominated and confirmed, it would be historical — he would be the first Indian-American Supreme Court justice.