By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

May 5, 2009 – “We’re on a fairly tight timeline to probably get something done before Congress gets out of town in August.”  That’s what White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday when he was asked about the nomination of the next Supreme Court Justice.

United States Supreme Court

President Barack Obama would like to have an Associate Justice nominated, confirmed and seated by the first Monday in October. 

But selecting and confirming a Supreme Court Justice is no easy task and the president will need the Senate’s help in the process. 

Gibbs said the president has already made a call to Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) on the Judiciary Committee to discuss the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Justice David Souter. 

Both senators will be key folks and hold hearings on the president’s nominee. They’ll get the nominee out of committee and before the full Senate for the votes needed to confirm Obama’s judicial pick.

Hatch said Obama assured him “he will not pick a radical or extremist.”

But who Obama picks is like waiting for Christmas and wondering what’s inside the largest box under the tree.  

While expectations are that Obama will select a nominee who favors abortion rights, the president is getting a lot of pressure to select a woman and or Latino for the high court.

As women of color, this makes the wait to open the Christmas package more exciting.  What would the court look like with an African-American or Latino woman seated in one of the nine high-back leather chairs?

And what would her appointment mean to women of color, the dynamics of the court and to the first two women on the Supreme Court, Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Ginsburg who paved the way?

Gibbs wasn’t giving up any details during the briefing.  “I am sure he will look at candidates for diversity in background,” Gibbs said. Adding, he’s looking for “somebody with a record of excellence, somebody with a record of integrity, somebody who understands the rule of law, and somebody who understands how being a judge affects Americans’ everyday lives.”

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