Sri Srinivasan became the first Asian American to lead a US Circuit Court this week, reports Diya TV.
He took over the US Court of Appeals in the DC circuit for Judge Merrick Garland who stepped down, but will continue to serve on the 17 judge panel.
Garland received a nomination from then President Barack Obama in March 2016 for the US Supreme Court, but the Republican-controlled senate lead by Sen Mitch McConnell refused for 11 months to take up his nomination. That refusal cleared the way for President Trump to nominate Neil Gorsuch and shift the high court further to the right.
According to the Washington Post, four of the nine people currently on the US Supreme Court have come from the Court of Appeals’ DC Circuit.
Srinivasan once served as a law clear for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and has worked in the Solicitor General’s office for both Republicans and Democrats. Born in Chandigarh, India, he came to the United States with his family at the age of 4. He holds three degrees from Stanford University. His term will run seven years. Like Garland, he is considered a moderate.
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