IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Joan L. Larsen climbed so quickly through the conservative legal ranks that it even surprised her at times. In five years, she has transformed from a little-known University of Michigan legal scholar to a prominent federal appeals court judge and now a top finalist for a U.S. Supreme Court appointment.

Larsen is among a small group of female lawyers whom President Donald Trump is considering to replace Justice Ruth Bader.  Trump called Larsen “very talented” in an interview with a Michigan television station.