President Joe Biden welcomed a group of Democrats from the Senate Judiciary Committee to the White House on Thursday to discuss his forthcoming nomination to the Supreme Court. 

The president has promised to nominate the first Black woman to the high court by the end of the month. A White House official on Wednesday said Biden is considering a wealth of highly qualified candidates with strong character. They all have compelling life stories and unique strengths, and they all should be deserving of bipartisan support, the official added.

Ten of the 11 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee were present at Thursday's White House meeting; only Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was not able to attend. 

"We shared with him some of our recommendations, but but mainly the message was: 'We trust your judgment, Joe Biden, when it comes to choosing the right person,'" Senate Judiciary chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters following the meeting. "We're going to work as hard as we can to make sure that selection is chosen officially by the Senate as quickly as possible." 

Biden said last month he planned to consult with lawmakers from both parties in making his pick to replace the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. The president also continued conversations with Republicans this week, a White House official said.

“The person I will nominate will be someone of extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity, and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court,” Biden said last month. “It's long overdue, in my view.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., now in his eighth term in the Senate, has participated in 20 Supreme Court nominee hearings, and on Thursday noted: "This is the historic one. [...] This is going to affect our country, our image abroad."

Biden has called nominating a candidate for the Supreme Court “one of the most serious constitutional responsibilities a president has.” As a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which holds confirmation hearings, Biden has a special appreciation for the process, senators said Thursday. 

"This is a committee that Joe Biden knows so well," Durbin said Thursday. "He chaired it. He lived in this committee. He has been through so many battles and he understands what we're facing."

Observers believe Biden’s list of potential nominees likely includes District of Columbia Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs of South Carolina. 

The president also is consulting with a diverse group of legal experts about their views on the pick.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., on Thursday said the senators are "all excited by the candidates we've heard about," adding they "are very aware of the historic nature of this appointment and very proud of that." The group would not confirm any names discussed during the meeting, but Durbin noted the list of candidates is "longer than the public probably knows."