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India-born Srinivasan finds place in Obama’s probable SC judge list
Indian-born Sri Srinivasan, a judge in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is among three nominees shortlisted by President Barack Obama for a vacancy in the Supreme Court bench.
Indian-born Sri Srinivasan, a judge in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is among three nominees shortlisted by President Barack Obama for a vacancy in the Supreme Court bench, according to a report.
Two others on the list are Merrick Garland, chief judge from the same of court as Srinivasan, and Paul Watford, a judge in the California-based court of appeals, according to Washington Post.
Srinivasan, who has been called Obama’s “Supreme Court nominee in waiting”, had emerged as a top contender within hours of the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia.
The Post’s report, based on conversations with those involved in the vetting process, is the first indication that he is indeed in contention, among the president’s first candidates.
If appointed, and confirmed, Srinivasan, 49, will become the SC’s first Indian-American, first Asian-American and, as pointed out by the Post, the first Hindu judge. Whoever gets nod eventually faces the prospect of an extremely hostile and messy confirmation process as Republicans want Obama to leave the vacancy for the next president to fill.
They control the senate, which must confirm the nomination, and they have said they have no intention of ever starting the process, leave alone going through with it.
But activists and liberal outfits are stepping up efforts to mount pressure on Republicans to yield. “Crucial questions regarding the civil liberties and religious freedoms of citizens of the United States sit before the Supreme Court,” the South Asian Bar Association of North America said in a statement on Friday.
