Caitlin Joan Halligan (born December 14, 1966) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate judge of the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

since April 2023. She served as

Solicitor General of New York A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

from 2001 until 2007. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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. courts of appeals, ...

, but the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

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

Early life and education

Halligan was born in

Xenia, Ohio Xenia ( ) is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southwestern Ohio, it is east of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton and is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metropolitan area as well as the Miami Valley region. As o ...

on December 14, 1966, to teachers John J. Halligan Jr. and Christine H. Smith. 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 Sout ...

'' with a B.A. in history from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

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 Sout ...

'' from

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

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, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine national central cities and the second most livabl ...

, through the Princeton in Asia program.

Career

After law school, Halligan served as a

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

, first for

Judge

Patricia Wald Patricia Ann McGowan Wald (; September 16, 1928 – January 12, 2019) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1986 until 1991. She was the Cou ...

and then for Justice

Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is an American lawyer and retired 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 r ...

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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

. 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. Known as a white-shoe law firm, it is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. The firm has addition ...

). 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 (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

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 law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931, it employs approximately 1,100 attorneys and reported annual revenues of over $1.8 billion, ranking it within''The American Lawyer'' AmLaw 10 ...

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 Supreme Court of the United States. Her reports air regularly on NPR's news magazines ''All Things Consid ...

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 turn on question ...

Supreme Court Choices You Haven't Heard Of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(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 has more than 1,900 attorneys and 1,000 staff in 21 offices across the world, including North America, Europe, ...

in New York as one of the firm's Appellate & Constitutional Law Practice Group leaders. Halligan represented Chevron in a landmark climate case against Steven Donziger using the civil provisions of

RICO The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was ...

law to shield corporations from having to pay environmental damages. 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).

Judicial career

Expired 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 agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

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 jurist serving since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. He has been described as having a moderate conservative judicial philosophy, though he is primarily an ...

.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 date') is the conclusion of a meeting by a deliberative assembly, such as a legislature or organizational board, without setting a date to reconvene. The assembly can reconvene, either in its pres ...

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 known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

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 politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...

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, 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.

Appointment to the New York Court of Appeals

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

after the retirement of Judge

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

on March 23, 2021. On March 24, 2023, Halligan was again selected as a finalist under consideration for appointment to the New York Court of Appeals, this time for the position of Chief Judge following the retirement of Chief Judge

Janet DiFiore Janet Marie DiFiore (born August 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals from 2016 to 2022. DiFiore was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and graduated from Long Island University and S ...

and the subsequent rejection of Justice Hector LaSalle's nomination to that seat by the New York State Senate. On April 10, 2023, Governor

Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...

announced her intention to nominate Halligan as an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals, replacing

Rowan D. Wilson Rowan D. Wilson (born September 3, 1960) is an American judge who has served as the chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals since 2023. He is the first African American to serve as chief judge. Early life and education Wilson was born i ...

, who was nominated for chief judge on the same day. On April 19, the

New York Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term ...

confirmed Halligan as associate judge by a vote of 47–12, she took her oath the same day.

Personal

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

Mimi Sheraton Miriam "Mimi" Sheraton ( Solomon; February 10, 1926 – April 6, 2023) was an American food critic. Early life and education Sheraton's mother, Beatrice, was described as an excellent cook and her father, Joseph Solomon, as a commission merchan ...

, in a civil ceremony on January 22, 1999. The couple has one daughter and 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 West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

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 judges 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Georgetown University Law Center alumni Judges of the New York Court of Appeals 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)