FILE - In a Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 file photo, Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. Lynch is a possible pick by President Obama as a candidate to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - For most presidents, choosing a Supreme Court nominee is a puzzle. For President Barack Obama, the chance to pick a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia is even more complicated.
As the White House carries out a rare election-year search for a nominee, the president's lawyers and top advisers are sorting through a tangled web of political factors.
A smart pick and nomination strategy could determine whether Obama gets to reshape the highest court for the next generation. The wrong pick could cede that opportunity to his successor.
For Obama, the clock is ticking. The sooner he picks a name, the longer he has to try to force the Republican-led Senate to hold a vote.
The White House says the president will use the same criteria he used when he nominated Sonia Sotomayor, who became the first Hispanic on the court, and then-Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the court.
FILE - In a Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015 file photo, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, speaks during a news conference in Los Angeles. Harris is a possible pick by President Obama as a candidate to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 26, 2014, file photo, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah speaks in Sandy, Utah. Hatch is a possible pick by President Obama as a candidate to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. Klobuchar is a possible pick by President Obama as a candidate to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The Associated Press
FILE - In a Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 file photo, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson listens to a question after speaking at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, in Dearborn, Mich. Johnson Lynch is a possible pick by President Obama as a candidate to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
The Associated Press
A vistor to the Washington Monument walks past flags flying a half-staff in honor of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on a wintry Presidents Day holiday in Washington, Monday, Feb, 15, 2016. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
The Associated Press