So much for the Republican’s claim that they rejected Rendell’s first set of nominees because they were not diverse.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s short list of candidates to serve interim terms on the state appellate courts has evolved from one focused on geographic, racial and gender diversity to one that would include a pair of nominees picked by Senate Republican leaders.

Sources close to and involved in the vetting process said Rendell initially had planned to nominate a female common pleas judge from Philadelphia, a veteran judge from the Lehigh Valley, an African-American judge or lawyer from Allegheny County and a Republican lawyer from Chester County.

An informed source with close ties to the governor said the Chester County Republican is Stuart Suss, of Frazer, Pa. Suss is a lawyer with the Attorney General’s Office in Norristown and sought the GOP endorsement for Superior Court in 1995 and 1997. He was also the Chester County deputy district attorney in charge of that office’s appellate division.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, whose district includes part of Chester County, had forwarded Suss’ name to the Rendell administration before the governor announced his first batch of nominees in January, sources said.

Suss declined to comment on the selection process.

A high-ranking Senate official said there were brief talks between the Senate leadership and the administration last week and that Rendell appeared to be willing to nominate two Republicans. In that case, the second Republican would likely hail from the district represented by Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph B. Scarnati, R-Jefferson, which includes a broad swath of Northwest Pennsylvania including Elk, McKean and Potter counties.

A lawyer asked to vet candidates by the governor’s office said Rendell had been interested in nominating an African American judge or lawyer from Pittsburgh. The administration contacted Common Pleas Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, who expressed no interest in the nomination due to the brevity of the interim term and her desire to seek retention in 2009, the lawyer said.

Clark confirmed that the administration approached her regarding an interim term and that she preferred to continue as a common pleas judge.

The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas includes numerous female judges who might be considered. Judge Anne E. Lazarus, who sought the Democratic Party’s endorsement to run for Superior Court in 2007, said she will be a candidate in 2009 and is not interested in the interim term.

Other veteran female Philadelphia common pleas judges include Esther R. Sylvester, Ida K. Chen, Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro, Frederica Massiah-Jackson, Sandra Mazer Moss and Pamela Pryor Dembe.

A source told the Law Weekly that a judge with a physical disability from the Lehigh Valley would be on the governor’s list. That description would appear to match Northampton County Common Pleas Court President Judge Robert A. Freedberg, who submitted his name for consideration in the first round of nominations. Freedberg has limited use of his left arm and leg due to an unusually severe bout of chicken pox as a child, he once told The Express-Times of Easton.

Freedberg declined to comment on whether he is currently being considered.