Former Gov. Deval Patrick’s name has quickly emerged as a potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a suggestion hailed by local Democrats while others say it would give a Republican Senate all the ammo it needs to stall the nomination process.

“He has such a strong background in constitutional law, civil rights, civil liberties. He would be an outstanding member of the court, I believe,” said Phillip Johnston, former chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, who, like Patrick, served in an appointed post under President Bill Clinton. “I don’t have any idea whether Deval would want it, but if he did want it, I think those of us who know him well would applaud the nomination very vigorously.”

Scott Ferson, former press secretary for the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and an adviser to congressional campaigns, said Patrick may be an appealing nominee because he is accustomed to politically motivated grilling and doesn’t have a long history of judicial decisions that can be picked apart.

“That’s a strength,” Ferson said. “He’s young, he’s a man of substance, so yeah, I think Deval Patrick could be a great candidate.”

Yesterday, the two-term Bay State governor’s name was mentioned by a range of media outlets, including The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

A Bain Capital spokesman, Ernesto Anguilla, said yesterday Patrick has no comment on the Supreme Court rumors.

Patrick’s name has been repeatedly floated in the past for Obama appointments ranging from the Supreme Court to attorney general, as well as a potential 2016 presidential or vice presidential candidate, but he ultimately insisted on returning to private life. Obama’s 2008 “Yes We Can” campaign was patterned after Patrick’s 2006 gubernatorial “Together We Can” campaign, and they shared key advisers. Patrick later campaigned vigorously for Obama in his 2012 re-election effort. While Obama has appointed a white and a Hispanic woman, the first black president has yet to name a black justice to the court.

But Patrick’s liberal ideology and ties to Obama — they share a close friendship as well as Harvard and Chicago ties — would make him a polarizing nominee that would embolden the Senate to stall confirmation until a new president takes office, said Patrick Griffin, a former campaign consultant to both Bush presidents.

“Deval Patrick has about as much chance of being confirmed by a Republican United States Senate as Hillary Clinton does being the role model for the Girl Scouts of America. It’s just not going to happen,” Griffin said. He said Obama “would have to nominate someone who’s fairly moderate … (Patrick) would be a judicial activist of the highest order.”

Patrick served in the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under President Clinton and went on to work as a private civil rights attorney, advising corporate clients. After leaving the Corner Office last year, he joined private equity giant Bain Capital as a managing director after deciding not to run for a third term.