Asian American advocates are applauding President Joe Biden after he announced his intention to nominate 11 judicial candidates last month, four of whom are of Asian descent. The move comes as the White House attempts to combat anti-Asian violence.
- Judge Florence Yu Pan, an associate judge on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia since 2009, will be nominated for the U.S. D.C. District Court. If confirmed, she will be the first Asian American woman to sit in that court. She has also worked for the D.C. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Treasury, and Department of Justice.
- Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta, an administrative judge for the D.C. Rental Housing Commission, is up for a seat on the D.C. Superior Court. Puttagunta began her legal career as a clerk for the D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals, and went on to open her own practice. If confirmed, she will be the first Indian American woman to serve on the D.C. Superior Court.
- Judge Zahid Nisar Quraishi is a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and was the first Asian American federal judge in New Jersey. If confirmed, he will become the first Muslim federal judge. While his nomination is for the same court, becoming a district judge secures tenure for life. Before his appointment, he was a partner at Riker Danzig and worked for the New Jersey Attorney’s Office.
- Judge Regina Rodriguez, nominated for the U.S. District Court of Colorado, has been a partner in several law firms and previously worked for the Colorado Attorney’s Office. If confirmed, she will be the first AAPI judge on the 10th circuit.
Of note: None were nominated to the appellate level, or the second highest courts in the U.S. judicial system.
Context: AAPI representation in the nation’s judicial system has been historically scant. Just 49 Asian Americans and three Pacific Islanders currently serve in federal courts out of 890 federal judges, according to the Federal Judicial Center. All four candidates, along with seven others announced in late March, must be confirmed by the Senate.
- While former President Donald Trump’s court picks were overwhelmingly white and male, he exceeded both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush in the percentage of Asian American appointees to federal appeals courts, according to Bloomberg Law.
Reaction: Biden’s first judicial slate earned praise from national AAPI advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers in Congress.
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association President A.B. Cruz III: “These nominations are particularly meaningful to our community, especially in the wake of anti-Asian violence. We urge the Senate to quickly confirm them.”
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-California): “President Biden’s historic judicial nominations highlight his ongoing commitment to ensuring eminently qualified and diverse candidates have a voice at all levels, including in our judicial branch that is tasked with interpreting our laws and administering justice. Not only will these diverse judges serve as examples to future generations, they are also bringing perspectives that have been missing or silenced from our courts for too long.”
- The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans: “Today, we thank the Biden Administration for a powerful step towards realizing racial equity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.”
- The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies: “APAICS thanks the Biden administration for nominating these highly qualified AANHPI nominees and for affirmatively taking steps to address the violence perpetrated against the Asian American community.”
