Richard Wolf

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Here are five things you need to know about Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia:

Long appellate tenure

He's served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a traditional steppingstone to the high court, for 19 years and is now its chief judge.

Past Republican favorite

Several times in the past, he has been touted by Republican senators as the most palatable possible choice (but now they say no chance). In 1997, he was confirmed by the Senate to the appellate bench on a 76-23 vote, which included the backing of 32 Republicans.

Roberts' résumé

Like Chief Justice John Roberts, he went to Harvard Law School, clerked for federal appeals court Judge Henry Friendly, served at the Justice Department, was a law firm partner and wound up on the D.C. Circuit.

Oklahoma City

He managed the 1995 investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing, which at the time was the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. A year later, he was named to oversee the “Unabomber’’ inquiry following the 1996 arrest of Ted Kaczynski.

He's no Scalia

Friends and colleagues describe him as a low-key, unassuming person who does not seek the limelight, quite unlike the man he would replace, Antonin Scalia. (Good luck with that.)

Meet Merrick Garland, Obama's SCOTUS nominee