In his interview with Mr. Holt, which will be published in a series of clips, Mr. Biden said that he had researched potential nominees he described as “incredibly well qualified and documented,” and “honors students” who came from “the best universities.” Mr. Biden said about four of those had been put through “thorough background checks” to see if anything there would endanger their path to confirmation.
Among those thought to be on the president’s short list are J. Michelle Childs, who until late last month was a little-known federal judge in South Carolina. Ms. Childs, a product of public universities, has been pushed by Rep. James E. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina and a Biden ally.
Also on the list is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a former clerk for Justice Breyer who won the support of three Republican senators when Mr. Biden elevated her from the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Justice Leondra R. Kruger of the California Supreme Court, a Yale Law graduate who has many of the qualifications typical of nominees, is thought to be another candidate.
The White House has taken pains to keep Mr. Biden’s thought process private, and has said little about how he is preparing beyond noting that he is reading cases on his own, relying on outside advisers and meeting with members of the Senate.
“I would note also that as he’s looking at the process, he’s reviewing not just bios, but he’s also reviewing cases,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday. “And he is looking at binders of cases because he is very — taking this approach very seriously. He’s taking a very thorough approach to it.”