Chicago lawyer Michael Scudder got a call from the White House counsel’s office one day after a vacancy opened up on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Scudder, a litigation partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom since 2009, said the White House call came on June 6. Judge Ann Williams took senior status the previous day, judiciary records show.