Posts Tagged: "Judge Sri Srinivasan"

Jimmie Reyna: A Man for All Seasons for the Supreme Court

While it is certainly possible that the President has narrowed his consideration to these three candidates, history teaches us that strange twists and turns can and do occur in the Supreme Court nominating process. With four years of experience on the Federal Circuit, confirmed to that court unanimously with a 86-0 vote and vocal bipartisan support, Judge Reyna would be the first Mexican-American to become a Supreme Court Justice, he would be the first international trade lawyer to become a Supreme Court Justice, and he would bring 30 years of broad legal experience and IP training to the High Court. The American Bar Association has ranked him as unanimously well-qualified, its highest ranking.

President Obama should nominate Judge Raymond Chen to the Supreme Court

Chen, an Obama appointee, was confirmed only several years ago by a vote of 97-0. Born in 1968 he is 47 years old, meaning he could easily serve on the Court throughout the next generation, in modern times an important consideration for a Presidential nomination to the High Court. Chen also comes from the Federal Circuit, which is anything but politically controversial, primarily responsible for handling patent appeals. Chen would also become the first Asian American to serve on the Supreme Court, another potentially important consideration for President Obama, who has shown throughout his term in Office that he likes breaking glass ceilings with appointments and nominations. Thus, Chen would have virtually all the same upside as would Srinavasan without any of the baggage that would make confirmation difficult, if not impossible.