一位知情人士周二向美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)证实，美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)正在锁定他对美国最高法院的第一人选，完成了对他的短名单上的候选人的面试，并在本周朝着最终决定前进。

拜登本月表示，他正在考虑“大约四个”名字——都是黑人女性——来接替退休的斯蒂芬·布雷耶大法官，研究他们的著作、法律经历和个人背景。

美国地区法院法官J.蔡尔兹现年55岁的他是唯一一个被白宫公开确认为正式考虑的人，并得到了南卡罗来纳州民主党众议员詹姆斯·克莱伯恩(James Clyburn)的支持，后者是拜登的一个有影响力的盟友。美国上诉法院法官凯坦吉·布朗·杰克逊，51岁，加州最高法院大法官莱昂德拉·克鲁格消息人士告诉ABC新闻，45岁的他也在被近距离观察。

杰奎琳·马丁/美联社

凯坦吉·布朗·杰克逊法官是美国最高上诉法院的美国巡回法官...

杰克逊是布雷耶的前职员，她曾在上诉法院提名前在白宫与拜登一对一会面，被广泛认为是领先者。一位发言人说，总统对她“在司法系统各级职位上的经验、她的性格和她的法律才华”印象深刻。

几个采访的完成意味着总统即将做出决定，但白宫发言人周二晚间表示，“总统尚未选择提名人。”

白宫发言人安德鲁·贝茨(Andrew Bates)在推特上写道:“他继续评估布雷耶法官模式下的杰出合格个人，他们拥有任何人都可以要求的最强记录、智力、性格和对法治的奉献精神——他们都应该得到两党的支持。”

《华盛顿邮报》援引匿名消息称，据报告的杰克逊和查尔兹已经被采访过了。白宫和接近这一过程的盟友拒绝对美国广播公司新闻的报道发表评论。

尽管拜登的日程和注意力一直被俄罗斯和乌克兰之间的危机所主导，但助手们表示，预计提名将于本月底宣布。消息人士称，提名活动的确切时间和形式尚未确定，因为总统尚未正式做出选择。

总统在国会山和基层团体中的盟友已经开始动员起来宣传和捍卫被提名人，准备发动媒体闪电战，以纪念提名的历史意义，并反击预期的共和党攻击，其中一些攻击已经受到种族主义的指控。

Biden nears Supreme Court pick after interviews with short-list candidates

President Joe Biden is zeroing in on his first pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, completing interviews with candidates on his short list and moving toward a final decision this week, a person familiar with the process confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.

Biden said this month he was considering "about four" names -- all Black women -- to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, studying their writings, legal experience and personal backgrounds.

U.S. District Court JudgeJ. Michelle Childs, 55, is the only person publicly confirmed by the White House as under formal consideration and is endorsed by South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, an influential Biden ally. U.S. Appeals Court JudgeKetanji Brown Jackson, 51, and California Supreme Court JusticeLeondra Kruger, 45, are also getting a close look, sources have told ABC News.

Jackson, a former Breyer clerk who previously met one-on-one with Biden at the White House ahead of her appeals court nomination, is widely considered the front-runner. A spokesman said the president has been impressed with her "experience in roles at all levels of the justice system, her character and her legal brilliance."

The completion of several interviews means the president is nearing a decision, but a White House spokesman said late Tuesday that "the president has not yet chosen a nominee."

"He continues to evaluate eminently qualified individuals in the mold of Justice Breyer who have the strongest records, intellect, character, and dedication to the rule of law that anyone could ask for - and all of whom would be deserving of bipartisan support," White House spokesman Andrew Bates tweeted.

The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources,reportedthat Jackson and Childs have been interviewed. The White House and allies close to the process declined to comment on the report to ABC News.

Despite the fact that Biden's schedule and attention have been dominated by the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, aides say announcement of the nomination -- promised by the end of the month -- is expected this week. Exact timing and format of a nomination event have not been determined because the president has not formally made his pick, sources said.

The president's allies on Capitol Hill and among grassroots groups have begun mobilizing to promote and defend the nominee, gearing up for a media blitz to mark both the historic nature of the nomination and counter expected Republican attacks, some of which have already been racially-charged.