GOP Blocks Obama Pick: President Withdraws Catilin Halligan's Nomination to D.C. Circuit Court

The White House officially withdrew President Barack Obama's nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Huffington Post reported. The president was "deeply disappointed that a minority of senators had blocked her nomination for close to two and a half years, stating, "today I accepted Caitlin Halligan's request to withdraw as a nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This unjustified filibuster obstructed the majority of Senators from expressing their support. I am confident that with Caitlin's impressive qualifications and reputation, she would have served with distinction."

Republicans objected to Halligan's nomination because of their claim that she had a history of legal advocacy, focusing specifically on a lawsuit in which she participated that would make gun manufacturers legally accountable for criminal acts of gun violence. In other words, she was perceived to be an "activist" judge in the eyes of conservatives.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had said her nomination would "bring... activism to the court; Because of her record of activism, giving Ms. Halligan a lifetime appointment on the D.C. Circuit is a bridge too far," he said.

"Caitlin Halligan is a woman who is extraordinarily well-qualified and amongst the most qualified judicial nominees I have seen from any administration," Judiciary Committe Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy countered.

"It is a shame that narrow, special interests hold such influence that Senate Republicans for two years blocked an up-or-down vote on her confirmation," Leahy added.

After law school, Halligan served as a law clerk first for United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia Wald and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. 

Halligan served as New York's Solicitor General from 2001 until 2007. She argued four cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would have been just the sixth female judge in the D.C. Circuit Court's 120-year history, 

Tags

U.S. Court of Appeals, President Obama, U.S. Politics, Caitlin Halligan

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