WASHINGTON (AP) - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he expects President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court to be on the bench when in time for the court's new term in October.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont says he will schedule confirmation hearings for the nominee after the president announces his selection. Obama has not set a timetable for naming a replacement for retiring Associate Justice Hon. David Souter.

Leahy says he is recommending that the president meet with political leaders of both parties as he decides on a nominee.

Leahy says he'd like to see considered people outside the "judicial monastery" with real-life experiences beyond the courtroom.

Leahy spoke Sunday on ABC's "This Week."