From the Associated Press --

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has recommended the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court be considered to succeed Justice David Souter on the nation's highest court.

Begich, a Democrat, on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama urging him to consider Dana Fabe for the pending vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In his letter, Begich calls Fabe "one of the finest judges" Alaska has produced in 50 years of statehood.

A native of Cincinnati, she received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

She has had a 33-year legal career in Alaska, and in 1996 became the first woman to serve on the Alaska Supreme Court.