As the White House mulls possible candidates to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) on Monday urged President Barack Obama to name a woman to the seat.

In a letter to the president, the Senators said the court’s current makeup — which includes only one woman — is out of step with the nation’s population and that diversity is key for the court’s success.

“The most important thing is to nominate an exceptionally well-qualified, intelligent person to replace Justice Souter — and we are convinced that person should be a woman,— Boxer and Snowe write in the letter, adding that, “Women make up more than half of our population, but right now hold only one seat out of nine on the United States Supreme Court. This is out of balance. In order for the Court to be relevant, it needs to be diverse and better reflect America.—

The administration has yet to let on who Obama may eventually tap for the position, but speculation has centered on a handful of candidates, including several women.