Some possible candidates for the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court:

SAMUEL A. ALITO, 55

Has been a strong conservative voice in his 15 years on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, considered among the most liberal.

EMILIO GARZA, 58

Sits on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and was considered for a Supreme Court seat by the first President Bush. He is known for his views that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned and that abortion regulation should be decided by state legislatures.

ALBERTO GONZALES, 48

U.S. attorney general and former White House counsel. Critics argue that a memo he wrote on the treatment of terrorism detainees helped lead to abuses of the type seen at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

EDITH JONES, 55

Has served on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans since 1985. The first President Bush considered Jones for a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 1990 but instead nominated David Souter.

J. MICHAEL LUTTIG, 51

Worked in the Justice Department during the elder Bush's administration and sits on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger from 1983-84.

MICHAEL McCONNELL, 50

A judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, enjoys bipartisan support in the academic community. Based on his reading of the law, he opposed President Clinton's impeachment and the Supreme Court's 2000 ruling in Bush vs. Gore that made George W. Bush president.

JOHN G. ROBERTS, 50

Has been on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since June 2003. A former clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Roberts was associate counsel to President Reagan from 1982-86 and served in the elder Bush's administration, arguing cases before the Supreme Court from 1989-93.

J. HARVIE WILKINSON III, 60

Also on the 4th Circuit Court in Richmond, has been consistently conservative in his rulings since being put on the court by President Reagan in 1984. Wilkinson wrote the majority 4th Circuit opinion in 1996 upholding the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays serving in the military from revealing their sexual orientation.

The Associated Press