June 13, 2012
WASHINGTON: Chandigarh-born Indian-American legal liminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan has been nominated by President Barack Obama to what is "often called the nation's second-highest court", the US court of appeals for the American capital.
June 13, 2012
WASHINGTON: Chandigarh-born Indian-American legal liminary Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan has been nominated by President Barack Obama to what is "often called the nation's second-highest court", the US court of appeals for the American capital.
Srinivasan, 45, who in August last year was named principal deputy solicitor general of the US, succeeding another Indian American, Neal Kumar Katyal, creates history in becoming the first South Asian to be ever nominated to the circuit court. If confirmed, he will be just the third South Asian named to any federal judgeship.
Along with Srinivasan, the president also nominated Caitlin Halligan, to also serve on the same court.
"Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience, intellect, and integrity to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," Obama said.
Noting that "This important court is often called the Nation's second-highest court," he said: "Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and, like Halligan, will serve the court with distinction and excellence."
A White House statement said Srinivasan is a highly-respected appellate advocate who has spent a distinguished career litigating before the US Supreme Court and the US Courts of Appeals, both on behalf of the US and in private practice.
Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. He received his BA with honours and distinction in 1989 from Stanford University and his JD with distinction in 1995 from Stanford Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review.
He also holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which he received along with his JD in 1995.
Srinivasan began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit from 1995 to 1996.
He received the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003 and the Office of the Secretary of Defence Award for Excellence in 2005.
In 2007, Srinivasan became a partner with O'Melveny & Myers LLP. In 2011, he was named the chair of the firm's appellate practice group. He was named as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General in August 2011.
Courtesy: TOI
