The Senate voted 97-0 on Thursday to confirm Sri Srinivasan to a long-vacant seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Srinivasan is the first new member of the D.C. Circuit since 2006. He will serve on a court that has heard a number of high-profile cases, including the Cobell trust fund lawsuit, the Cherokee Freedmen dispute, the Patchak land-into-trust case and the San Manuel labor law case.

Srinivasan has worked for the Department of Justice during the Obama and the George W. Bush administrations. He has argued 20 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Cherokee Nation v. Leavitt, a contract support costs case that tribes won.

The D.C. Circuit is often seen as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Of the nine justices, four served on the D.C. Circuit.

Get the Story:
Sri Srinivasan confirmed to serve on influential U.S. appeals court for D.C. Circuit (The Washington Post 5/24)
Senate Confirms a Judge, but Rancor Remains (The New York Times 5/24)