Neomi Rao, who has led the Trump administration’s push to curtail agency regulations as its Deregulatory Leader, will succeed Brett Kavanaugh on the Washington DC Circuit, whose docket is teeming with administrative disputes. Neomi will be nominated to fill the vacancy left by Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, 13^th November, 2018, during a Diwali ceremonial lighting ceremony at the White House. “I won’t say today that I just nominated Neomi to be on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the seat of Justice Brett Kavanaugh,” Trump said, 24 hours before a planned announcement. “She’s going to be fantastic — great person.”

The President has interviewed Rao, who currently serves as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an agency within the White House Office of Management and Budget. Rao is on leave of absence from George Mason University Scalia School of Law, where she is an Associate Law Professor. Asked to say something by Trump, Rao responded with “thank you very much, Mr. President, for the confidence you’ve shown in me. I greatly appreciate it.”

Rao, who confirmed to lead the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs last year, has spearheaded the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda. If confirmed by the Senate, Rao would rise to a court widely considered the second highest in the nation, in part because it receives the bulk of cases challenging the federal government’s actions. In its reviews of those actions, the DC Circuit regularly weighs how much deference is owed to federal agencies.

In joining the White House last year, Rao took leave from her position as a law professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, where she also founded the school’s Center for the Study of the Administrative State. She also previously served as an associate counsel at the George W. Bush White House, from 2005 to 2006.