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Possible Supreme Court nominee has Lawrence ties

Posted at 6:03 PM, Feb 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-15 19:30:02-05

A former Lawrence High School student is a leading contender to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Previous story: Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia found dead in Texas 

Sri Srinivasan grew up in Lawrence and now works as a circuit judge in Washington, D.C.

Since the passing of Scalia on Saturday, several media outlets have listed Srinivasan as a possible nominee to take Scalia’s seat.

“When I heard the news, I told my wife we might be hearing soon about Sri Srinivasan,” said Ted Juneau, a former basketball coach at Lawrence High School.

Srinivasan played basketball at the school before he graduated in 1985. Juneau said he has kept in touch with Srinivasan ever since and followed his career.

“I've known Sri for a long time. He used to come to basketball camp when he was younger,” he said. “It was his knowledge of the game that stood out. He was a great teammate, good leader, and kids gravitated towards him."

After attending Lawrence High School, Srinivasan graduated from Stanford University, and then Stanford Law School.

Since his career took off and landed him in a federal circuit court position, family friend Jill Huntsinger said Srinivasan has not forgotten where he came from.

“He still keeps in touch with his high school friends,” she said. “He comes back to reunions. He has done all sorts of amazing stuff in his life but I think he's still passionate about Lawrence."

Huntsinger lived near the Srinivasan family and now works as a teacher at Lawrence High School. She said she remembers Srinivasan as being short and skinny, but respectful.

“I think it's neat that someone from that background can be a part of the highest court in the country," she explained.

Srinivasan may face a long road ahead if he is named by President Barack Obama as a Supreme Court nominee.

Republicans and Democrats are debating whether or not Obama should wait for the elections until he makes his recommendation.

If Srinivasan is nominated, he would face tough questioning from leaders. It would be a tough task for anyone, but  Juneau thinks Srinivasan is ready.

“I think he's a good person. He's also a fair person,” said Juneau. “I think the people of the United States deserve someone like him."

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Tom Dempsey can be reached at tom.dempsey@kshb.com.

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