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Obama to Meet With Senators on Supreme Court Vacancy

President Barack Obama will host a meeting next week with bipartisan leaders of the Senate and the Judiciary Committee to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy left by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Obama will host the session on the morning of April 21 with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Judiciary ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). The group will discuss plans for how to move forward on the confirmation, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced Tuesday.

The president indicated last week that he will announce his nominee to the high court “in the coming weeks,” with the goal of having Stevens’ replacement on the bench by the time the court’s fall session kicks off.

Obama is narrowing a list of prospective nominees for the opening. Leahy has said he expects the Senate to confirm the next justice by the August recess.

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