--- title: "Srikanth Srinivasan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/srikanth-srinivasan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Srikanth Srinivasan U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Padmanabhan “Sri” Srinivasan is an American jurist who has served since 2013 as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and since February 2020 as its Chief Judge - Judge, District Court, District of Columbia, 2013-present - Principal deputy solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 2011-2013 - Assistant to the solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 2002-2007 - Law clerk, Hon. Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, 1997-1998 - Law clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (1997–98) - Bristow fellow, Office of the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996-1997 - Law clerk, Hon. J. Harvie Wilkinson III, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 1995-1996 - Law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III (4th Cir.) (1995–96) - Senior federal judge and chief judge of the D.C. Circuit, with a distinguished career in law, government, and academia - His appointment as chief judge marked the first time a person of South Asian descent led a federal appellate court ### Education - He graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. (1989), then obtained a J.D. and M.B.A. from Stanford Law School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. ### Additional information - Chief Judge since February 11, 2020, succeeding Merrick Garland. - In 2016, he was considered for a Supreme Court nomination after Antonin Scalia’s death, but President Obama nominated Merrick Garland instead. - Appointed by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2013, to the D.C. Circuit, succeeding Arthur Raymond Randolph. - Confirmed by the Senate 97–0 on May 23, 2013. - Private practice in Washington, D.C. (1998–2002, 2007–2011) - His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1971, settling in Lawrence, Kansas. - Born February 23, 1967 in Chandigarh, India, Srinivasan is of Tamil Brahmin heritage. - Date of birth: 1967-01-01 - He argued 25 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during his tenure at the DOJ. - His leadership role and prior high-profile legal work have made him a prominent figure in the U.S. federal judiciary. - Birth place: Chandigarh, India ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394216) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394216) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394216) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3065/srikanth-srinivasan/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3065/srikanth-srinivasan/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/srikanth-srinivasan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/srikanth-srinivasan", "name": "Srikanth Srinivasan | KnowJudges", "description": "Srikanth Srinivasan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 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