(CNN) – President-elect Joe Biden has decided to run for Attorney General for Judge Merrick Garland, and those familiar with the matter have told CNN. .

As Biden nears to fill the remaining seats in his cabinet before taking office on January 20, the attorney general’s announcement is expected to come early Thursday, along with other high-ranking judicial leaders.

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Although Merrick Garland has been a top contender for several weeks, concerns about the vacancy he was elected to in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia have caused alarm among many aides who trusted Biden and Republicans. The Senate will block any nominations for that position. But those concerns were allayed as Democrats began to control the Senate after winning two elections in Georgia.

“Judge Carland will now be seen in a new light,” a senior Biden friend told CNN.

Obama nominated Carland as the Supreme Court candidate after the judge created the vacancy caused by his death Antonin Scalia Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have for months refused to hold confirmation hearings or hold the necessary votes in the chamber.

When Trump took office, Garland’s appointment expired and he returned to his position as Chief Justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Round. The court is responsible for reviewing challenges for management companies. He resigned as Chief Justice in February 2020, but is still serving on the court. President Bill Clinton appointed him to court in 1997.