US President Donald Trump nominates Indian-American Shireen Matthews to federal judgeship
Washington, Sep 1: President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Shireen Mathews as a judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of California.
If confirmed, Matthews will be the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Indian-American to serve as an Article III federal judge in the Southern District, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) said.
Article III judges "hold their office during good behavior", which means they have a lifetime appointment, except under very limited circumstances. Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate.
Currently, Matthews is a partner at Jones Day, the fifth-largest law firm in the country, in San Diego.
Prior to joining the firm, Matthews served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Before entering government service, Matthews was an associate with Latham and Watkins LLP in San Diego, the White House said in a statement.
NAPABA has applauded Trump's intent to nominate Matthews.
"Shireen Matthews is [an] experienced attorney, both in the public and private sectors. She will be a well-qualified addition to the bench in the Southern District of California," NAPABA President Daniel Sakaguchi said in the release.
Sakaguchi said that the potential nominee is dedicated to "serving her community and promoting diversity in the legal profession" and has served as a former president of the San Diego's chapter of the South Asian Bar Association.
Matthews earned her BA, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and her law degree, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law.
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IndiGo Crisis: DGCA suspends 4 Flight Operations Inspectors
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation safety regulator DGCA has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) over massive disruptions in IndiGo’s operations, which resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights and lakhs of people getting stranded across airports.
The airline cancelled over 50 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Friday.
FOIs are senior officials within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, working as part of its regulatory and safety oversight functions, often deployed to monitor airline operations.
"Four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) at the DGCA have been suspended in connection with the recent large-scale disruptions in IndiGo’s flights," a source said.
These officials ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers,and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India.
"IndiGo has cancelled 54 flights -- 31 arrivals and 23 departures -- from Bengaluru Airport on Friday," a source said.
The crisis-hit airline had cancelled over 200 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru on Thursday.
Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras will appear again before the DGCA's investigation panel at 2 PM on Friday.
The DGCA on Thursday stepped up scrutiny of the crisis-hit IndiGo, with officials stationing themselves at the carrier's headquarters to monitor operations, and an inquiry panel grilled CEO Pieter Elbers.
Elbers, who appeared before the DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday, has been asked to appear again on Friday.
The four-member panel comprises Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, and FOI Lokesh Rampal, with a mandate to identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier.
The committee's mandate includes assessing manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline's preparedness to implement the latest duty period and rest norms for pilots, which came into effect from November 1 this year.
