President Obama said today he doesn't have "litmus tests" on social issues for any Supreme Court nominee, but he supports abortion rights and he will make sure his choice "takes into account individual rights, and that includes women's rights."

"Part of what our core constitutional values promote is the notion that individuals are protected in their privacy and their bodily integrity, and women are not exempt from that," Obama said before meeting with a group of senators.

Obama said, "I think we've got some terrific potential candidates" to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, though he did not provide specific names.

Last year, Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor on May 26, and the president said he hopes to "accelerate" that timeline with this selection. Obama praised the Senate for working "very cooperatively" to confirm Sotomayor two months before the court's term began in October, and he is seeking similar results this time.

The White House meeting featured the Senate's top party officials, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Obama also spoke with the chair and ranking Republican of the Senate Judiciary Committee: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

"They are here to consult with me," Obama said of his guests, adding that "I'm going to be interested in hearing their thoughts and concerns before any final decisions are made."

Obama praised Stevens as "somebody who operated with extraordinary integrity and fidelity to the law."

He will be hard to replace, Obama said. "but I'm confident that we can come up with a nominee who will gain the confidence of the Senate and the confidence of the country, and the confidence of individuals who look to the court to provide evenhanded justice to all Americans."

(Posted by David Jackson)