The nomination of Supreme Court justices is a consequential task for the president of the United States. There are various factors to consider when selecting a candidate for the Supreme Court. President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Merrick Garland to fill Supreme Court vacancies considering many different factors. Some of the factors were:
1. Judicial experience and qualifications - Sotomayor and Kagan both had prior judicial experience while Garland was a highly respected judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
2. Ideological balance - Obama wanted to balance the ideological composition of the court by appointing more liberal justices to replace more conservative ones.
3. Identity politics - Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic and Kagan would be the fourth woman to sit on the Supreme Court.
4. Personal and professional background - Obama wanted to appoint individuals with impeccable personal and professional credentials.
In the case of these three nominees, vacancies occurred due to different reasons. President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court in 2009 after Justice Souter announced his retirement. Elena Kagan was nominated in 2010 to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired at the age of 90. In 2016, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia, who had passed away suddenly earlier that year. However, Garland's nomination was stalled by Senate Republicans who refused to consider any nominee until after the 2016 presidential election.
The nominations of Sotomayor and Kagan were successful, and they were both confirmed by the Senate to serve as Supreme Court justices. However, Garland's nomination was not successful, and he was not given a hearing or a vote in the Senate despite his qualifications and previous bipartisan support.
In summary, when Obama nominated Sotomayor, Kagan, and Garland, he took different factors into account. Two of his nominations were successful and led to more balanced representation on the court, while one of them was unsuccessful due to political differences in the Senate.