Statement of CAC President Doug Kendall on the Nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit

For Immediate Release: September 29, 2010

Contact: Doug Pennington, Press Secretary

(202) 296-6889 x303

Washington, DC – On news reports that President Obama has decided to nominate Caitlin Halligan, General Counsel for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Constitutional Accountability Center President Doug Kendall released the following statement:

“Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) applauds President Obama’s nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. While CAC will conduct a thorough review of Halligan’s record, we are already aware of her service as New York State Solicitor General, her work as an appellate advocate in private practice, as well as her current work as General Counsel in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Halligan, a graduate of Princeton University and Georgetown Law School, clerked on the D.C. Circuit for Judge Patricia Wald, and then on the Supreme Court for Justice Stephen Breyer. She has argued and won cases before the Supreme Court, and has appeared as counsel of record in some 40 others. Given what we know of Halligan at this stage, she epitomizes what CAC meant when it called for President Obama to nominate the ‘next generation of brilliant legal minds’ to the federal bench.”

“The D.C. Circuit, which has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals of rulings of numerous federal agencies, is often called the second most important court in the country. Its docket routinely contains significant cases concerning national security, the environment, and other issues affecting the health and welfare of Americans nationwide. It is imperative that the Senate promptly consider Ms. Halligan’s nomination to this critical court.”

Resources:

Associated Press, “AP Source: Obama to tap NY lawyer for DC circuit”: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_judges

Bio of Caitlin Halligan: http://www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Caitlin_Halligan

Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history.

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