February 5, 2021
1 min read

Trump’s nomination of Indian American as judge cancelled

US President Joe Biden has cancelled the nomination of Vijay Shanker to be a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington…writes Arul Louis.

The White House on Thursday informed the Senate that it was withdrawing his nomination, which was made by former President Donald Trump in June.

The Senate did not take up Shankar’s nomination while Trump was in office and the Republican party had the majority.

His was one of 32 nominations, 17 of them for judges, that were held over from the Trump administration and pulled back by Biden.

Appointment of judges is a political matter in the US and the president appoints them from the pool of ideological soulmates or party loyalists. Even federal prosecutors are appointed on a party line and like judges they have to be approved by the Senate.

In many states judges are elected by citizens in general elections like legislators.

While many political appointees, including prosecutors, leave voluntarily when an administration changes or are fired, judges keep their positions.

When Trump nominated him, Shankar was the deputy chief of the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department.

He investigated and prosecuted violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related offences and oversaw 30 lawyers who handle federal criminal appeals and draft Supreme Court briefs.

He was simultaneously an adjunct associate professor at the Washington College of Law of the American University.

Also Read-Italy’s Conte likely to back successor

Previous Story

NLD patron U Win Htein arrested

Next Story

Global Covid death toll crosses 2.8Mn

Latest from -Top News

Fragile Peace in Sweida Gains Regional Support

Jordan, Syria, U.S. discuss Syria’s Sweida ceasefire in Amman as more Israeli Druze cross border to Syria to fuel tensions Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Syrian foreign affairs chief Asaad Al-Shaibani, and

The illusion of normalcy in Israel

As people are trying to heal from the scars of war and resume their everyday lives, for those of us living in Israel, normalcy feels like an illusion — fleeting, easily shattered

Britain’s Afghan conundrum

British reluctance to call Afghan helpers “collaborators” and questions over their commitment to protect them from Taliban retaliation have raised serious questions, writes Mihir Bose The debate about the data leak by

US terror tag on TRF exposes Pak proxy network

In a significant diplomatic victory for India and a sharp rebuke to Pakistan’s decades-old terror strategy, the United States has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO)
Go toTop