Obama's Potential Supreme Court Nominees

May 5, 2009— -- The timing of Supreme Court Justice David Souter's decision to retire comes as a surprise to many, including some of his colleagues on the court. At least one justice learned of it from media reports.

Still, the clues have been there. Speculation started to swirl this spring because Souter hadn't even started interviewing clerks for the next term.

Here's a look at who's hot and who's not in potential replacements:

Sonia Sotomayor: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit