23 Mar 2013 12:09 pm
Obama Withdraws Caitlin Halligan's Nomination To D.C. Circuit CourtThe White House officially withdrew President Barack Obama's nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A statement issued on Friday comes after repeated attempts to confirm the former New York state solicitor general were filibustered by Senate Republicans.In a statement, Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" that a minority of senators had blocked Halligan's nomination for almost two and a half years, and called the vacancies on what is arguably the country's second-highest federal court "unacceptable.""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," Obama said in an emailed statement. "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 what they claim is her history of legal advocacy, having focused specifically on a lawsuit in which she participated that would make gun manufacturers legally accountable for criminal acts of gun violence.The most recent GOP filibuster incidentally came on the same day that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) gained national media attention for his 13-hour talking filibuster. Democrats fell short of the required 60-vote threshold to end debate and bring Halligan's nomination to a vote, with only Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) breaking from her party in support of invoking cloture. Halligan was nominated on Sept. 29, 2010, to replace current Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts; her nomination was first filibustered in 2011.Shortly after the vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Halligan would "bring that 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," McConnell said.Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called it a "shame" that Republicans had succeeded in blocking an "extraordinarily well-qualified" woman, who he said would've made an "outstanding judge.""Caitlin Halligan is a woman who is extraordinarily well-qualified and amongst the most qualified judicial nominees I have seen from any administration," Leahy said in a statement. "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."MOREDemocrats said that Republicans were interested mainly in stalling any appointments by President Obama to the influential court, which reviews many critical cases on government powers. They said that Republicans could not point to a single case of judicial activism on Ms. Halligans part, and that during her time as solicitor general, she was simply doing her job and acting in the interests of the State of New York.I challenge the other side to give me one instance where they disagree with something that Ms. Halligan stated as her own views as opposed to representing someone as a lawyer should, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democrat, said on the Senate floor. Whats going on is our colleagues want to keep the second-most important court in the land, the D.C. Circuit, vacant, because right now there are four vacancies and the majority of those on the court have been appointees of Republican presidents and, in fact, are very conservative.http://www.nytimes.c...ligan.html?_r=0The D.C. Circuit is considered the nation's second-highest court, but it now has more vacancies than any other circuit court.Gone are the days when Republicans ran around insisting on an 'up or down vote' for one of George W. Bush's judicial nominees.Remember the 'Gang Of 14'?Only five members of the original Gang of 14 remain in the Senate — three Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona, and two Democrats, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas — and the three Republicans all voted against allowing a vote on Ms. Halligan.Hypocrites.