Senate Fails to Confirm Judicial Nominee Caitlin Halligan to D.C. Circuit Court

 (Washington, D.C.) The Senate today failed to confirm Caitlin Halligan to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The following statement is from Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center:

“The National Women’s Law Center is sorely disappointed that the Senate failed to confirm Caitlin Halligan, an exceedingly qualified candidate, to the D.C. Circuit Court. Today’s vote means that 7 active judges must continue to do the work meant for a full 11-judge court. Indeed, each judge’s caseload has grown more than 50 percent since 2005, when the seat to which Caitlin Halligan was nominated became vacant.

“Caitlin Halligan is one of the most respected appellate lawyers in the country. She has honed her skills in state and federal appellate courts and has argued five cases before the Supreme Court. She has dedicated the bulk of her legal career to public service, including contributing significant pro bono service to survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to the organization that worked to rebuild the area around the World Trade Center after the September 11^th terrorist attack, and to protecting the rights of low-income individuals and families.

“Yet, after two years of waiting for a floor vote in the Senate, this superb nominee was blocked from serving on the D.C. Circuit Court. Women rely on the federal court system for justice: they come to the courts when they've suffered sex discrimination at work or at school, when states try to take away their constitutional right to make personal and private decisions about their health, or when there are threats to important economic, health and safety protections that keep them and their families safe. When a federal court like the D.C. Circuit is missing over one-third of its judges, justice is delayed – and sometimes denied.”

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