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Sri Srinivasan Sworn In as D.C. Circuit Judge

By Aditi Mukherji, JD on June 19, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Sri Srinivasan was sworn in Monday afternoon as the newest judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, reports The Blog of Legal Times. The U.S. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Merrick Garland administered the oath in a small ceremony in Garland's chambers in the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in downtown Washington D.C.

For folks in the area who want to be a part of the action, fear not. Though no date is currently set, a larger, public swearing-in ceremony at the courthouse is slated for the fall.

Srinivasan is officially the first person of Indian descent to sit on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to joining the D.C. Circuit, Srinivasan was the Principal Deputy Solicitor General. The 46-year-old was born in Chandigarh, India and grew up in Kansas.

Since Srinivasan is a rising star in the legal world and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is an unofficial feeder court into the U.S. Supreme Court, many are wondering whether Srinivasan will someday be the first Indo-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Former D.C. Circuit judges that made the leap to the highest court include Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia.

But that's a way's off. As for now, Srinivasan can relax (a little). The D.C. Circuit doesn't hear oral arguments over the summer, except on an emergency basis. Srinivasan will review briefs in the interim. The court will begin its new session in September.

Srinivasan was initially nominated along with Caitlin Halligan, the general counsel of the Manhattan District Attorney's office, but Halligan's confirmation process panned out differently. Her confirmation hearings were mired in politics. After two-and-a-half years and two filibusters in nomination limbo, Halligan asked President Obama to withdraw her nomination for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

By stark contrast, Srinivasan was confirmed unanimously by a rare 97-0 margin in the U.S. Senate.

Srinivasan's prospective colleagues, meanwhile, are still playing the waiting game. President Obama made three nominations to fill the remaining vacant seats but have yet to be confirmed. One nominee, Patricia Millett, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 10th, reports the Talking Points Memo.

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