Read: McVeigh's lawyer praises Garland in letter to Obama

Merrick Garland, who on Wednesday was tapped by President Obama as his pick to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, found an unlikely ally en route to his nomination.

Stephen Jones, who was Timothy McVeigh's lawyer, wrote a letter to Obama urging him to select his one-time adversary in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Describing himself "as a Republican of nearly sixty years who was a forensic opponent of Judge Merrick Garland," Jones praises Garland's handling of the case.

Garland, Jones wrote, "was uniformly courteous and considerate, and demonstrated great skill, perseverance and learning."

"Regardless of his ultimate judicial decisions, there can be no question that Merrick Garland has the character, education and temperament to be every bit as great a Justice as Justice Scalia," Jones argued.

Read the full letter below: