The search for a Supreme Court nominee has been trimmed to about half a dozen candidates by top White House officials, and an announcement may come by month’s end, two sources close to the selection process tell CNN. Among the finalists are federal appeals court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood, and Solicitor General Elena Kagan, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak by the White House.

Women make up all but one of the top candidates currently being given serious scrutiny, the sources said.

Also on the list, a source said, was California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno. The 60-year-old Los Angeles, California, native was not among the early favorites mentioned by legal analysts and the media. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs previously hinted some of the names under consideration were under the political radar.

Moreno was a federal trial judge before his 2001 appointment to California’s top court.

A new round of vetting the finalists’ records is under way by a small group of top staff led by the White House counsel’s office, the sources said. Vice President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and senior adviser David Axelrod are also extensively involved. By Bill Mears /CNN Supreme Court Produce. Click here to continue reading article from CNN.

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