Members of the Congressional Black Caucus gather for a news conference on Capitol Hill. | AP Photo Black lawmakers irked by Obama's Supreme Court choice

Some African-American lawmakers urged their Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to skip a meeting with Valerie Jarrett because of discontent with President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee.

The members are irked by Obama's selection of a moderate judge instead of a progressive who could rally the base, according to three lawmakers and senior aides familiar with the meeting. They also don't think that their input was adequately sought by the administration before Merrick Garland was nominated.


A source said members are asking themselves, "What is the point" of attending the meeting, now that Garland has been nominated. The meeting took place on Thursday morning.

And some of the lawmakers questioned why Garland, who is white, was selected over a minority in an effort to make the court more diverse.

Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama, was on the Hill Thursday to meet with the CBC about Garland's nomination and other topics, according to a source.

The process to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Antonin Scalia has been acrimonious. Senate Republican leaders are refusing to hold confirmation hearings for Garland, saying Obama should not be able to influence the ideological bent of the court so close to a presidential election.

Progressives have expressed tepid support for Garland. National progressive groups said they wished the selection was more liberal, but they still planned to back Obama in his fight with congressional Republicans.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Congressional Black Caucus members who attended the meeting with Jarrett "indicated their strong support for the president’s nominee."

“That’s not a surprise, we’re seeing that from other leaders in the civil rights community," Earnest said. “Everybody that Valerie met with today, that included a number of CBC members, expressed their strong support for the president's decision to nominate Chief Judge Garland.”

Sarah Wheaton contributed to this story.