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WASHINGTON � President Barack Obama withdrew his nomination of 
Caitlin Halligan to a federal appeals court Friday, conceding to 
Republicans in the Senate who twice blocked his pick for the key 
judicial post.

Calling the obstruction by Republicans unjustified and 
unacceptable, Obama said he was pulling Halligan's name from 
consideration even though he believed she would have served with 
distinction on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of 
Columbia Circuit.

"I am deeply disappointed that even after nearly two and a half 
years, a minority of senators continued to block a simple up-or-
down vote on her nomination," Obama said in a statement the 
White House issued while he was traveling in Jordan.

Senate Republicans blocked Halligan's confirmation for a second 
time in early March, arguing that Halligan is too liberal and 
citing her work on lawsuits against gun manufacturers and on 
behalf of illegal immigrants. A majority of senators, 51, 
supported Halligan's nomination, but Democrats needed 60 votes 
in the 100-member Senate to get it past Republican objections.

Democrats have accused the GOP of trying to maintain a 
conservative majority on a key appellate court.

In a letter Friday to Obama, Halligan said it had been a 
"tremendous honor" to be nominated and made no reference to the 
clash with Republicans. "After much reflection, I believe that 
the time has come for me to respectfully to withdraw my pending 
nomination from further consideration," she wrote.

The D.C. appeals court is considered one of the most important 
courts in the country because it handles challenges to most 
federal rulemaking and oversees federal agencies based in 
Washington. There are four vacancies on the court, with judges 
nominated by Republican presidents holding a slim, 4-3 majority.

The White House has not said whom Obama will nominate instead, 
or what the timeline is for making that decision.

The former solicitor general for New York state, Halligan is 
general counsel for the New York County District Attorney's 
Office.

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP7f2c92e233884cb083e4ceb13b14436b
.html

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