With only a few months left until the end of his first term, President Barack Obama isn't wasting any time.
On Monday, he nominated Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, reports The New York Times. Both candidates are high-profile so we'll be covering this story very closely.
Halligan is the general counsel of the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Srinivasan is the Principal Deputy Solicitor General.
Halligan and Srinivasan are high profile for different reasons. Sri Srinivasan has been hailed as an up-and-comer in the judicial world. He is also the first federal judicial nominee of Indian descent.
But more on Srinivasan later. Today, let's talk about Halligan.
This isn't Caitlin Halligan's first time as a judicial nominee for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Last year, President Obama nominated Halligan to the same post. Her nomination stalled when the Senate Republicans filibustered her nomination in a 55-45 vote.
President Obama isn't giving up that easy on Halligan, though. At the time, he criticized the filibuster and the Republican party's way of conducting business, claiming that they put their party ahead of the country.
Now, he's pushing for his candidate one more time before the end of his term.
While it's highly unlikely that Halligan (or Srinivasan) will be confirmed anytime during Obama's first term, he at least got them on the roster before the end of the year.
And if he does win a second term, Caitlin Halligan could have a second shot at the judicial seat.
Stay tuned to our blog for more information on Sri Srinivasan over the coming week.
Related Resources:
- Top Five Things to Know About Judicial Nominee Caitlin Halligan (FindLaw's D.C. Circuit Blog)
- Top Five Things to Know About New Deputy SG Sri Srinivasan (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- Search D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Cases (FindLaw Cases)