Thank you for contacting me to e

Thank you for contacting me to express your views about the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. I appreciate your views on this matter and welcome the opportunity to respond.

Considering nominees to serve on the federal bench is an important responsibility entrusted by the Constitution to the United States Senate. Federal judges are appointed for life terms. Barring misconduct and impeachment, once the Senate confirms these individuals, they face few additional checks throughout their career. The courts should be the ultimate guarantors of our liberties. We place our trust in them and count on qualified and independent judges to apply our laws within the framework of the Constitution.

Each individual Senator has an obligation to make sure that he or she carefully considers each nominee and votes to confirm only if he or she believes the nominee can competently and fairly discharge his or her judicial duties. We also have an obligation to perform this duty in a timely manner. I take this obligation very seriously, and my review of Caitlin Halligan reflects that approach.

My general belief that the President should be given leeway to select the individual candidates he believes are most qualified and suited to serve on the federal bench must be tempered by the need to maintain rigorous standards. This does not mean that Senators should confirm only those nominees whose views align precisely or even largely with their own. When a nominee's views, background, or positions are at odds with the attributes I consider to be needed for the job - or where we do not have the information necessary to make that assessment - I must respectfully withhold my consent to that nomination.

As you may know, Ms. Halligan's nomination was brought before the Senate for debate on December 6, 2011. I supported a motion to move forward with a vote on her nomination, but that motion was defeated 54 to 45 since 60 votes were required for that procedural motion.

Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.