People familiar with the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney selection process are pointing fingers at Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) for delays in candidate vetting, the Philadelphia Daily News reported today.

Arlen Specter (Gov)

The selection of a nominee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania post is likely some time away, individuals familiar with the process told the Daily News. The Justice Department is reviewing several candidates for the job, because Specter and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) were unable to agree on a single candidate to recommend to the White House last month, according to the newspaper.

Senators who are in the same party as the president traditionally make joint recommendations to the White House. This means the U.S. Attorney recommendations would have been in Casey’s hands before Specter switched parties in April. Specter was included in the selection process when he became a Democrat, complicating the matter, according to the Daily News.

A Specter spokesperson declined to comment to the newspaper. Larry Smar, a spokesperson for Casey, told the Daily News that he didn’t “have a sense of when a nomination will be made.”

The newspaper said the following lawyers are thought to be among the finalists for the U.S. Attorney post, which was held by Patrick Meehan, who resigned in July 2008 and is running for a House seat in Pennsylvania:

• Cheryl A. Krause, a partner at Dechert LLP and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

• James Eisenhower, a partner at Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis LLP and former Eastern District Assistant U.S. Attorney.

• J. Huntley Palmer of JP Morgan Chase & Co. and a former Eastern District Assistant U.S. Attorney.

The three possible finalists declined to comment to the Daily News.

This post has been corrected from an earlier version.

The abrupt exit of interim U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia Laurie Magid, which we reported on last week, has added new fire to the search for a replacement.

Here are some of the names currently being floated around for the positions:

Philadelphia’s new interim U.S. attorney, Michael L. Levy, who has spent most of his legal career in the federal office, is said to be interested in the nomination, as are several former prosecutors from the office, including Elizabeth K. Ainslie, James J. Eisenhower, J. Huntley Palmer, and Philadelphia Inspector General Amy Kurland.

Other Democrats seeking the nomination include state Supreme Court Justice Jane Cutler Greenspan, [District Attorney Lynne M.] Abraham, and A. Roy DeCaro, a former federal prosecutor and assistant district attorney. Assistant U.S. Attorney L.C. Wright, a longtime prosecutor still in the office, also is said to be interested.

Other names that have been mentioned in the past include: James G. Colins, Ken Trujillo, Walter M. Phillips Jr., Jack Stollsteimer, and Geoff Moulton.

It will be interesting to see how much influence Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) will have over nominations for the three available U.S. Attorney posts in Pennsylvania.  Specter will be working with his colleague Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) to come up with recommendations for President Obama.

A June 5 deadline was set by Casey for applicants seeking the U.S. Attorney positions.