Caitlin Joan Halligan (born December 14, 1966) is a lawyer who is the former general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney's office. She served as Solicitor General for the state of New York from 2001 until 2007.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

nominated her several times to fill a vacancy on the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...

, but the

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did not vote directly on the nomination, and in March 2013 the President withdrew the nomination at her request.

Early life and education

Halligan was born in

Xenia, Ohio Xenia ( ) is a city in southwestern Ohio and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. It is east of Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Miami Valley region. The name comes from the Greek l ...

on December 14, 1966. Halligan graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with an A.B. in history from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1988 after completing a 123-page long senior thesis titled "Origins and Development of Labor Radicalism in

Pullman, Illinois Pullman, one of Chicago's 77 defined community areas, is a neighborhood located on the city's South Side. Twelve miles from the Chicago Loop, Pullman is situated adjacent to Lake Calumet. The area known as Pullman encompasses a much wider ...

, 1881-1894." She then received a J.D. ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

in 1995. She was the managing editor of the ''

Georgetown Law Journal ''The Georgetown Law Journal'' is a student-edited scholarly journal published at Georgetown University Law Center. It is the flagship law review of the Georgetown University Law Center. Overview The ''Georgetown Law Journal'' is headquartered ...

'' (1994–1995). Before law school, Halligan served as a legislative aide for U.S. Rep. William Vollie Alexander, Jr., and as a policy associate at Georgians for Children, a non-profit organization devoted to improving state policies for families and children. Halligan also taught writing, American history, and American literature at a university in

Wuhan, China Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city and ...

, through the

Princeton in Asia Princeton in Asia (PiA) is a nonprofit organization that helps recent college graduates obtain yearlong jobs with educational institutions, businesses, media organizations, and NGOs throughout Asia. It is among the better-known organizations of its ...

program.

Legal career

After law school, Halligan served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

, first for

Judge

Patricia Wald Patricia Ann McGowan Wald (September 16, 1928 – January 12, 2019) was an American judge who served as the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) and as a judg ...

and then for Justice

Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is a retired American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and repl ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. After her clerkships, Halligan served as an associate with Howard, Smith & Levin LLP (now merged with

Covington & Burling Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. In 2021, Vault.com ranked Covington & Burling as th ...

). She then spent eight years with the New York Attorney General's Office. From 1999 to 2000, she served as the first Chief of the Office's Internet Bureau, where she developed and coordinated statewide law enforcement and policy initiatives regarding online consumer fraud, privacy, online securities trading, and other Internet-related issues. Halligan served as First Deputy Solicitor General in 2001, and then served as Solicitor General from 2001 until 2007. Halligan has served as adjunct faculty at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

since 2005. After leaving the Solicitor General's office in 2007, Halligan joined the law firm

Weil, Gotshal & Manges Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is an American international law firm with approximately 1,100 attorneys, headquartered in New York City. With a gross annual revenue in excess of $1.8 billion, it is among the world's largest law firms according to ' ...

to head up its appellate practice.Irene Plagianos
Maverick and Goose, Move Over: There Are Some New Top (Legal) Guns in NYC
''Corporate Counsel'' (March 30, 2010). In 2009,

Nina Totenberg Nina Totenberg (born January 14, 1944) is an American legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR) focusing primarily on the activities and politics of the Supreme Court of the United States. Her reports air regularly on NPR's new ...

of National Public Radio included Halligan's name on a list of possible nominees to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Supreme Court Choices You Haven't Heard Of

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(May 17, 2009). In early 2010, Halligan left Weil Gotshal to join the Manhattan district attorney's office as its general counsel.Manhattan District Attorney-elect Cy Vance Announces Executive Staff
''SoHo Journal'' In March 2014, Halligan joined

Gibson Dunn Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1890, the firm includes approximately 1,400 attorneys and 1,000 staff located in 20 offices around the world, including North ...

in New York as one of the firm's Appellate & Constitutional Law Practice Group leaders. In March 2019, she joined the firm Selendy & Gay. Halligan has argued six cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.David Ingram
Sources: Obama Administration Vetting N.Y. Lawyer for D.C. Circuit
'' The Blog of Legal Times'' (July 16, 2010).

Potential judicial appointments

Nomination to the D.C. Circuit

On May 26, 2010, legal blogger Ed Whelan reported that President Obama has placed Halligan on "the inside track" to be nominated to one of two vacancies on the

. In July 2010, the Blog of Legal Times reported that two unidentified lawyers said agents with the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

had interviewed them regarding Halligan, which is standard for federal judicial nominees and often is precursor to a nomination. On September 29, 2010, Obama nominated Halligan to replace

John G. Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...

.David Ingram and Mike Scarcella
Obama Nominates N.Y. Lawyer to D.C. Circuit
'' The Blog of Legal Times'' (September 29, 2010). On December 22, 2010, the Senate returned the nomination to the President, having taken no action on the nomination in the One Hundred and Eleventh Congress. On January 5, 2011, President Obama renominated Halligan for the same post. On February 2, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination and on March 10, 2011, the Judiciary Committee reported her nomination to the floor favorably, in a 10-8 vote. On December 6, 2011, the Senate failed to invoke cloture in a 54-45 vote, falling six votes short of the 60 votes needed to move forward with a floor vote on her nomination. Her nomination was returned to the President on December 17, 2011, pursuant to the rules of the Senate. Halligan was renominated on June 11, 2012. Two more attempts to gain cloture on her confirmation failed, and on August 3, 2012 her nomination was again returned to the White House. She was renominated on September 19, 2012. Her nomination was again returned to the President on January 2, 2013, due to the

sine die adjournment Adjournment ''sine die'' (from Latin "without a day") is the conclusion of a meeting by a deliberative assembly, such as a legislature or organizational board, without setting a day to reconvene. The assembly can reconvene, either in its presen ...

of the Senate. On January 3, 2013, she was renominated to the same office. Her nomination was reported by the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...

on February 14, 2013, initially in a 10-8 vote, strictly along party lines. However, Sen.

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...

later changed his vote to "pass," making the final committee vote 10-7. On March 4, 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid again filed a motion to invoke cloture on Halligan's nomination. On March 6, 2013, cloture failed by a vote of 51 ayes to 41 nays. According to Senator

Charles E. Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the senior United States senator from Iowa, having held the seat since 1981. In 2022, he ...

, one objection of Republicans to the nominee was based on the legal theory she advanced while Solicitor General of New York, which was that "gun manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers contributed to a ‘public nuisance’ of illegal handguns in the state." On March 22, 2013, Halligan requested that Obama withdraw the nomination and he did so.

Consideration for New York Court of Appeals

Halligan was one of seven candidates under consideration for appointment to the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

after the retirement of Judge

Paul Feinman Paul George Feinman
''New York Times'' (December 1, 2013). (January ...

on March 23, 2021.

Personal

Halligan married Marc C. Falcone, the son of former ''New York Times'' food critic,

Mimi Sheraton Mimi Sheraton (born Miriam Solomon; February 10, 1926) is an American food critic and writer. Family and education Sheraton's mother, Beatrice, was described as an excellent cook and her father, Joseph Solomon, as a commission merchant in a wh ...

, in a civil ceremony on January 22, 1999. The couple live in Manhattan's

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The traditional boundaries of the West Village are the Hudson River to the west, 14th Street (Manhattan ...

neighborhood. Halligan is an avid runner and has been a member of the

New York Road Runners New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

club.

References

External links

*
Appearances at U.S. Supreme Court
Oyez.org. {{DEFAULTSORT:Halligan, Caitlin 1966 births Living people 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Georgetown University Law Center alumni Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States New York (state) lawyers People associated with Gibson Dunn People from Greenwich Village People from Xenia, Ohio Princeton University alumni Solicitors General of New York (state)