(Indianapolis, Ind.) – The names of three finalists to fill an opening on the Indiana Supreme Court are expected to be forwarded to the governor this week.

Justice Theodore Boehm, 77, is retiring in September after 16 years on the state's highest court.

The Judicial Nomination Commission had been interviewing more than 30 candidates since Boehm’s announcement in June and widdled the field down to nine candidates by mid-July.  Four of those left in the running are women seeking to become Indiana’s first female justice.

The three finalists will be judged on talent, public service, and credibility Chief Justice Randall Shepard told the Associated Press.

Gov. Mitch Daniels will then select the next justice, the first since 1999.