Could another state official be headed to Washington, D.C.?

The Seattle Times reports that Gov. Christine Gregoire is on the White House's short list to succeed Elena Kagan, should Kagan's Supreme Court nomination be confirmed.

Dave Ammons of the Secretary of State's office blogs today about the process for filling the governor's position if Gregoire takes the federal job.

Should Gregoire be appointed, it would change the makeup of the 2012 race for governor. It would also contribute to the Evergreen State's growing presence in the nation's capital. Former Gov. Gary Locke is secretary of Commerce. Former King County Executive Ron Sims is deputy secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position generally referred to as the U.S. "drug czar." Defense Secretary Robert Gates owns a home on Orcas Island.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Web site, "The Office of the Solicitor General is tasked to conduct all litigation on behalf of the United States in the Supreme Court, and to supervise the handling of litigation in the federal appellate courts." Prominent solicitors general include William Howard Taft (1890-92), who later became president and Supreme Court chief justice; Francis Biddle (1940-41), who served as attorney general during World War II and served as the primary U.S. judge during the Nuremberg trials; Archibald Cox (1961-65), who was special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal; Thurgood Marshall (1965-67), the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court; and Ken Starr (1989-93), who as independent counsel investigated various allegations against President Bill Clinton.

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