by Not taking no for an answer on Caitlin Halligan’s nomination to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, President Obama has renominated her today along with Srikanth Srinivasan, principal deputy solicitor general of the United States.
“Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience, intellect, and integrity to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,” President Obama said. “This important court is often called the Nation’s second-highest court, and it stands more than a quarter vacant. I remain deeply disappointed that a minority of the United States Senate blocked Ms. Halligan’s nomination last year and urge her reconsideration, especially given her broad bipartisan support from the legal and law enforcement communities. Mr. Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and, like Ms. Halligan, will serve the court with distinction and excellence.”
Halligan now serves as General Counsel for the New York County District Attorney’s Office. In other words, she now advises District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. as he continues his assault on knife rights in New York City.
Halligan has a long history in serving her masters in their assault on the Second Amendment and arms. In addition to her work for DA Cyrus Vance, Jr., she was the Solicitor General under then-NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer when he sought to bankrupt firearms manufacturers. She was also a signatory to an amicus brief that attacked the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act(PLCAA)arguing that it was unconstitutional.
All the major gun rights organizations opposed her nomination last year. As I facetiously commented last December, only she could unite the NRA and GOA. That President Obama would nominate her again so soon after she was turned down is a slap in the face to gun owners. If this doesn’t express his true feelings towards us “bitter clingers”, nothing does.
Two reasons this is important to everyone:
– The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is the stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Nearly all judges appointed there are considering to be in "grooming" for the big court. The DC Circuit overwhelmingly puts more justices into SCOTUS than all others.
– The DC Circuit really is not limited in its reach – it resolves federal regulatory issues anywhere our flag flies (and in several instances, in cases where it does not). In essence, the DC Circuit looms large over near everything we do on a daily basis (thanks, Commerce Clause!). It is a mini-Supreme Court in itself, and due to its reach and the fact the real Supreme Court does not look at many cases, I would argue it is the most powerful court in the nation, at least in terms of effect on our daily lives.
That is why these nominations need to be put down. This isn't the wacky Ninth. Things that happen in the DC Circuit hit everyone, everywhere thanks to a system of over-extension of federal laws by unelected bureaucrats called "regulation and rule making".
We gotta fix that, but that would honestly take a constitutional amendment. Maybe we add that to the list for next year, eh?