President Barack Obama will announce his nominations for three seats on the
D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals, according to news reports.
The trio includes
Patricia
Ann Millett, who has argued 32 cases before the
U.S. Supreme Court. She has
experience in Indian law and recently authored a
brief
in support of the
Indian Child
Welfare Act for
Adoptive
Couple v. Baby Girl.
Another possible nominee was
David
Frederick, who has argued 41 cases before the Supreme Court. He has
experience in Indian law and represented an Indian family in
Plains
Commerce Bank v. Long, a tribal jurisdiction case.
But he was not picked by Obama, according to news reports, who will announce the nominations at the White House today.
Joining Millett will be
Cornelia T. L. Pillard, a law professor, and
Robert L. Wilkins, a federal judge in Washington, D.C.
The D.C. Circuit has heard a number of high-profile Indian law cases, including
the
Cobell trust fund lawsuit, the
Cherokee Freedmen
dispute, the
Patchak
land-into-trust case and the
San Manuel labor law
case.
It 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:
Obama to name two female lawyers and an African American federal judge to U.S. appeals court in District of Columbia
(The Washington Post 6/4)
Obama to Nominate 3 to Fill Posts on Key Appeals Court
(The New York Times 6/4)
Related Stories
Obama aims to nominate three more for seats on
DC Circuit (5/28)
Senate confirms nominee for long-vacant seat on DC Circuit
(5/24)
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