Klobuchar mentioned as possible Scalia replacement on Supreme Court

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's name has surfaced on a handful of news media sites as a possible candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia over the weekend.

Scalia's passing has sparked a debate over who should pick the next justice for the high court. President Obama has the constitutional authority to nominate a candidate, but the Republican-controlled Senate has the duty to confirm that pick.

University of Minnesota political science professor Timothy Johnson says he thinks Klobuchar could actually get confirmed by a GOP Senate.

"Senator Klobuchar was the prosecutor for Hennepin County for years, which means she has proven record of being tough on crime which is clearly a conservative issue," he said. "And so she sort of seems to fit what would be this moderate candidate."

Johnson says Klobuchar is also well-liked by her Senate colleagues.

Klobuchar has not responded to questions about who should be the next Supreme Court justice.