United States President Joe Biden nominated Indian American Vijay Shanker to the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals, according to a statement released by the White House on 14 July 2022.
Shanker is one among seven others who were named in the 23rd round of nominees for federal judicial positions.
In his current role, Shanker serves as the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section in the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice. He was also a Counsellor and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division and Senior Litigation Counsel in the Criminal Division's Fraud Section at the Department of Justice.
In the US, the judgeships in the Washington D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals are positions that are federally appointed.
However, the nominees for the D.C. courts experience a complex nomination process compared to other federal judges in different parts of the country, according to a report by The Washington Post.
In June 2020, Shanker was first nominated to the D.C. Court of Appeals by former President Donald Trump. His nomination was returned to the president at the adjournment of the US Senate on 3 Jan. 2021. Even though he was renominated the same day, however a month later, his nomination was withdrawn.
During his distinguished career, Shanker has argued and briefed about 60 federal appeals. He investigates and prosecutes violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related offences.
According to Shanker's profile on the Judicial Nomination Commission, he advises attorneys and leadership on a wide variety of legal issues and litigation matters.
Shanker got his Bachelor of Arts degree in public policy studies from Duke University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Prior to starting his work at the Department of Justice in 2012, he was in private practice with the Washington D.C. offices of Mayer Brown LLC and Covington and Burling LLP.
After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to Judge Chester J. Straub in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
(With inputs from `The White House and American Kahani)
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