Tomorrow, the Senate will again consider the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a court which is in critical need of additional judges. President Obama first nominated Ms. Halligan to that important court in September 2010, but two and a half years later, Republicans in the Senate have yet to allow an up-or-down vote on her nomination.
Caitlin Halligan is exactly the kind of person who should be a judge: she is smart, fair, thoughtful and deeply committed to the Constitution and the rule of law. Consideration of her nomination should not be about politics. It should be about ensuring that highly qualified individuals who are willing to commit themselves to a lifetime of public service are treated fairly by the Senate, judged on their merits, and allowed a vote.
Ms. Halligan’s credentials are impeccable. She was an honor student at both Princeton University and the Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as managing editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. She clerked for former D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Patricia Wald and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and she has served as counsel of record in more than 50 Supreme Court cases. She has personally argued five cases before the Supreme Court. She received the highest possible rating – unanimous well-qualified – from the non-partisan American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
Inspired by her parents, who were both teachers, Ms. Halligan has devoted her professional career primarily to public service. Prior to law school, Ms. Halligan worked as a legislative aide for Representative William Alexander, Jr., focusing on health care and education for families in the Arkansas Delta region. She also worked at Georgians for Children, an organization dedicated to helping impoverished children and families. As a lawyer, her pro bono work has included serving as counsel to the Board of Directors of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which was tasked with overseeing the revitalization of lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She also represented victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.