Insiders won't say why Granholm is in D.C.

Sources won't say if Michigan's gov is in D.C. to see president about High Court nomination

Deb Price / The Detroit News

Washington -- If President Barack Obama wants to interview Gov. Jennifer Granholm today for the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court, he'll have to work around her appearance at the White House announcement on tailpipe emissions.

Her trip to Washington today -- and her cancellation of a public appearance in Warren on Monday -- fueled speculation that she's being vetted for the seat Justice David Souter will relinquish at the end of the court's term in June. But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs wasn't saying whether that was the case.

He ducked answering the question at the briefing Monday, intensifying the media spotlight on the governor and former Michigan attorney general, who reportedly is on a short list of contenders that includes Janet Napolitano, the secretary of Homeland Security; Solicitor General Elena Kagan; and U.S. Appeals Court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Pamela Wood.

"The governor's primary objective in coming is an announcement we'll make tomorrow (Tuesday) on a different topic," Gibbs said.

Her secondary objective? "I feel good about my first answer," he replied.

Michael Traugott, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, said of Gibbs' sidestep:

"He clearly ducked. He had other possible answers, like 'No, she's not going to meet with the president about the Supreme Court.' Instead, he left it open."

Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd declined to answer whether the governor has been asked to meet with the president or to provide any material on her background.

"I have no statement about speculation on the Supreme Court," Boyd said.

Gibbs said the president hasn't interviewed anyone.

"I appreciate the opportunity to inform you of each and every person that the president sees on this topic, but I'm not likely to do it," Gibbs deadpanned.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who specializes in federal courts, said Granholm stands the best chance of getting the nomination if Obama decides to pick someone who hasn't been a judge. Several senators in recent years have said the court would benefit from a justice with a real-life perspective, such as a governor.

"She has the kind of qualifications you'd want in that case," Tobias said. "She's smart. She's worked in the political realm. She works well with people."

Granholm's strengths, experts say, are a mix of political and legal experience, her relative youth at 50, and her gender (the nine-member court has only one woman). While she's never been a judge, she has been a federal prosecutor and clerked for a federal appeals court judge.

dprice@detnews.com (202) 662-8736