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Vijay Shanker

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Vijay Shanker
Image of Vijay Shanker

Nonpartisan

District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2037

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

$257,900

Education

High school

Westerville North High School

Bachelor's

Duke University, 1994

Law

University of Virginia School of Law, 1999

Vijay Shanker is a judge the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on July 14, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 15, 2022, by voice vote.[1] Shanker was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the court of last resort in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to his confirmation, Shanker was the deputy chief of the Appellate Section in criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

On June 25, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Shanker to a seat on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Shanker's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021.[2] The president renominated Shanker on January 3.[3] Shanker's nomination was withdrawn on February 4, 2021.[4]

Judicial nominations and appointments

District of Columbia Court of Appeals (2022-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Shanker to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The U.S. Senate confirmed Shanker by voice vote on December 15, 2022.[1] Shanker was sworn into office on December 21, 2022.[5] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Vijay Shanker
Court: District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Progress
Confirmed 154 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: July 14, 2022
ApprovedAABA Rating: N/A
Questionnaire:
ApprovedAHearing: September 21, 2022
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: September 28, 2022 
ApprovedAConfirmed: December 15, 2022
ApprovedAVote: Voice vote


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Shanker on December 15, 2022, by voice vote.[1]

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held hearings on Shanker's nomination on September 21, 2022. Shanker was reported to the full Senate on September 28, 2022, by voice vote.[6]

Nomination

On July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Shanker to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The president officially nominated Shanker on the same day.

Shanker was nominated to replace Judge Stephen Glickman, who retired on June 25, 2022.[1][7]

District of Columbia Court of Appeals (2020 nomination)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On June 25, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Shanker to a seat on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.[2] Shanker's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021.[8] The president renominated Shanker on January 3.[3] Shanker's nomination was withdrawn on February 4, 2021.[9]

Nomination

On June 25, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Shanker to a seat on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.[2] Shanker was nominated to replace Judge John R. Fisher, who retired on August 22, 2020.[2][10]

Biography

Education

Shanker earned his B.A., cum laude, in public policy from Duke University in 1994 and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. During his legal studies, Shanker was inducted into the Order of the Coif and was a notes editor of the Virginia Law Review.[11][12]

Professional career

About the court

This court handles local matters related to the District of Columbia. For information on the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, click here.

District of Columbia Court of Appeals
State-Supreme-Courts-Ballotpedia-template.png
Court Information
Justices: 9
Founded: 1970
Location: Washington, D.C.
Salary
Judicial Selection
Method: U.S. President appoints, U.S. Senate confirms
Term: 15 years
Active justices
Corinne Ann Beckwith, Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Joshua Deahl, Catharine Friend Easterly, John P. Howard III, Roy W. McLeese, Vijay Shanker

Established by Congress in 1970, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the court of last resort in Washington, D.C., and has nine judgeships. The current chief of the court is Anna Blackburne-Rigsby.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals meets in the Historic Courthouse.[13]

As of September 2021, in Washington, D.C., court of appeals justices are selected through an assisted appointment method, where the President selects an appointee from a list provided by a nominating commission. The appointee must then be approved by the U.S. Senate. To read more about this system of selection, click here.

The D.C. Court of Appeals reviews all final orders, judgments and specified interlocutory orders of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and answers questions of law certified by federal and state appellate courts. Additionally, the court may review decisions made by D.C. administrative agencies, boards, and commissions.

Cases are heard by randomly chosen three-judge panels except when it is requested and ordered by a majority of judges in regular active service that the court sit en banc. This may occur when it is deemed that the full court is needed to maintain uniformity of its decisions, or if the case is of noteworthy importance.[14]

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN2385 — Vijay Shanker — The Judiciary," accessed July 19, 2022
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Congress.gov, "PN2065 — Vijay Shanker — The Judiciary," accessed June 26, 2020
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "Thirty Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 3, 2021 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "renom" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ Congress.gov, "PN19 — Vijay Shanker — The Judiciary," accessed August 5, 2021
  5. ↑ District of Columbia courts newsroom, "THE HONORABLE VIJAY SHANKER IS NOW A JUDGE ON THE DC COURT OF APPEALS," December 21, 2022
  6. ↑ Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, "Business Meeting on September 28, 2022," September 28, 2022
  7. ↑ DC.gov, "Notice of Judicial Vacancy on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals," September 16, 2021
  8. ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
  9. ↑ Congress.gov, "PN19 — Vijay Shanker — The Judiciary," accessed August 5, 2021
  10. ↑ DC.gov, "Notice of Judicial Vacancies on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals," December 6, 2019
  11. ↑ 12.0 12.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," June 25, 2020
  12. ↑ District of Columbia Courts, "Historic Courthouse," accessed September 15, 2021
  13. ↑ District of Columbia Courts, "About the Court of Appeals," accessed January 28, 2015


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