(FOXNEWS) — Attorney General Loretta Lynch has asked to not be considered for the Supreme Court vacancy “given the urgent issues before the Department of Justice,” a Justice Department official said Tuesday.
Lynch was among many names at the center of speculation over whom President Obama will nominate to fill the seat left by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last month at age 79.
Justice Department spokeswoman Melanie Newman confirmed Tuesday that she does not want to be considered.
“As the conversation around the Supreme Court vacancy progressed, the Attorney General determined that the limitations inherent in the nomination process would curtail her effectiveness in her current role,” she said in a statement.
