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Indian-born Sri Srinivasan may succeed US Supreme Court Justice Scalia

Ruchi Kumar | Updated on: 14 February 2017, 5:40 IST
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  • Chandigarh-born Sri Srinivasan is a likely candidate to replace the recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
  • Srinivasan, a Stanford graduate, is the current appeals court judge in the DC circuit, and is known to be right-leaning conservative
  • Srinivasan was part of the team that got the high court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act that disallowed homosexual marriages.

Indian-American appeals court judge Sri Srinivasan is a likely contender to succeed US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away on 13 February.

If nominated, Srinivasan is likely to find support from Republicans for his right-leaning position.

A graduate from Stanford University, batch of '89, he also attended Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. He was appointed to the US Court of Appeals in May 2013.

Srinivasan, who was born in Chandigarh but resides in Lawrence, Kansas, has had a illustrious career in law across several large legal firms in the US.

Between 2002 to 2007, Srinivasan served as an assistant to the solicitor general. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Srinivasan served as the principal deputy solicitor general for nearly two years.

While most Republicans have raised objections to President Barack Obama nominating a replacement to conservative leaning Scalia, less resistance would perhaps be made towards Srinivasan who is known for his pro-business credentials. Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz referred to him as a "close friend".

In 2013, Srinivasan was part of the legal team that got high court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, Reuters report. Either way, the Indian-born judge stands a strong chance at making the final nomination to be made soon by Obama.

He has already been named "Supreme Court nominee-in-waiting" by The New Yorker's Jeffrey Toobin.

First published: 15 February 2016, 5:49 IST
 
Ruchi Kumar @RuchiKumar

Ruchi Kumar is an Indian journalist living in Kabul with her cat Bukhari. On most days, she reports on the ongoings in the region. Rest of the time, she reads, writes and wanders around Kabul looking for people who will tell stories.