Partner Rakesh Kilaru appeared on CNN’s The Lead to discuss how White House lawyers are likely approaching the vetting process underway for President Biden’s potential Supreme Court nominees.
“A president always wants to be ready for a Supreme Court nomination, and so I’m sure lawyers in the White House have taken a close look at a lot of potential candidates,” Rakesh said. “What I imagine is happening now is a lot of fast-moving action to try to figure out who the right person is from a political and from a legal perspective. In particular, by making sure there are no red flags in the background.”
Prior to joining Wilkinson Stekloff, Rakesh clerked for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and served as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel. During his time at the White House, Rakesh played a lead role in the selection process for President Obama’s third Supreme Court vacancy, which culminated in the nomination of then-Judge, now Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Rakesh added, “To the extent I have advice, it is to move quickly. Obviously, you want to make sure you have the right person. You want to make sure that person is ready for the firestorm that may come their way. But there are so many pitfalls that can go wrong between nomination and confirmation, and speed is your friend in smoothing those over.”
The full interview can be viewed here.