Here are 3 of the buzziest potential candidates to replace Justice Antonin Scalia

The process of confirming a Supreme Court justice is a complicated political challenge under normal circumstances. So you can imagine what the potential nominee could face this election year. Liberals are practically foaming at the mouth given President Obama's opportunity to name a successor, while conservatives are vowing to filibuster the decision. Justice Antonin Scalia, who died unexpectedly Feb. 13, was a reliable conservative vote in the High Court. If Obama wants to actually get his successor confirmed in the next 11 months, that person needs to essentially do the impossible — please everyone. Whom might this unicorn candidate be?

The White House doesn't plan to name anyone until the Senate is back in session on Feb. 22, but that leaves plenty of time for speculation. Pulled from the many lists floating around, here are the three buzziest candidates:

Sri Srinivasan

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The 48-year-old Indian-American already achieved the impossible in 2013 when he was unanimously confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, by far the most prominent circuit court. Previously, he had a seven-year stint working for the solicitor general's office, including five years under President George W. Bush. He also clerked for two Republican judges, including Sandra Day O'Connor. Srinivasan is widely viewed as a moderate.

Jane Kelly

The 51-year-old Obama appointee also earned a unanimous Senate vote in 2013 when she was confirmed to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. At the time, she was championed by the same committee chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who would be leading the Supreme Court confirmation process this time around. Kelly, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 with Obama, spent most of her career as a public defender.

Paul Watford

The 48-year-old Obama appointee was confirmed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2012 by a "filibuster-proof majority" (61 to 34). Watford, who is African-American, spent a decade as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and has clerked for prominent conservative judge Alex Kozinski as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is considered a moderate.