United States President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American advocate Vijay Shanker for the position of Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. In a communique to the Senate on Sunday, Trump said the nomination of Shanker is for a period of 15 years. If confirmed by the Senate, Shanker will replace John R Fisher, who has now retired. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court for Washington DC.
Trump had first announced Shaker's nomination last June. Currently, he serves as Senior Litigation Counsel in the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, and as Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section.
Before joining the Department of Justice in 2012, Shanker was in private practice with the Washington, DC, offices of Mayer Brown, LLC and Covington and Burling, LLP.
Upon graduation from law school, Shanker served as a law clerk to Judge Chester J Straub on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Shanker completed his bachelors, cum laude, from Duke University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as a Notes Editor for the Virginia Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden's low-key inauguration on January 20 will include a Pass in Review on the East Front, a presidential escort to the White House, and a virtual parade across America following his official swearing in at the US Capitol, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced.
After the official swearing-in ceremony on the West front of the US Capitol, the President-elect, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will participate in a Pass in Review on the East front with members of the military.
Pass in Reviews are a long-standing military tradition that reflect the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander-in-Chief, during which the President-elect, hosted by the Commander of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, will review the readiness of military troops.
Every branch of the military will be represented in this event. Participants will be socially distanced and the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), a nonprofit tasked with planning the inauguration, will have vigorous COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place.