A new Gallup poll suggests that Americans today are less concerned about President Obama nominating a female justice than they were in October and September 2005, in the heat of the nomination and confirmation battles of Harriet Miers and Samuel Alito.

In a survey conducted May 7-10, only 6 percent of respondents said it was "essential" that Obama select a woman judge, compared to the 14 percent who said so in the fall of 2005. Just over a quarter of those polled this time around said that it would be "a good idea, but not essential" for the president to nominate a woman (33 percent and 29 percent said so in October and September 2005, respectively). Furthermore, there's a 14 percent jump in the number of Americans indicating that "it doesn't matter" whether the nominee is female or not (50 percent in October 2005 to 64 percent today).

Americans clamoring for a Hispanic or black nominee are fewer in number than those calling for a woman. Despite pressure on Obama to appoint the nation's first Hispanic justice, just over 20 percent of respondents indicated it would be "a good idea, but not essential" to nominate a Hispanic (only 1 percent said essential), while nearly 70 percent said it doesn't matter. Several rumored nominees are Hispanic: Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit; Vanessa Ruiz of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals; Kim Wardlaw of the 9th Circuit; and Ruben Castillo of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Here's how Gallup illustrates the trend: