Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto is being mentioned as a possible replacement for U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter who is retiring the summer.


Masto, a Democrat, could have a chance at a seat on the nation's highest court were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to whisper her name to President Barack Obama, writes Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Jane Ann Morrison.

In her Monday column, Morrison noted that Obama has said he is looking for a nominee with broader experience than just time on the bench, which would be in Masto's favor since she has never served as a judge.

Masto, 45, is quoted by Morrison as saying she would be open to a seat on the high court.

"If the Obama administration called? "I'd not hang up," Masto said.

As for her current plans, Mason is planning on running for a second term as the Silver State's chief legal officer.

Morrison noted that if Masto was confirmed as the nation's next Supreme Court justice, state Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley of Las Vegas would likely be appointed attorney general, taking her out of the race for the Democratic nomination for governor against Reid's son, Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid.