The U.S. Senate tonight confirmed Pamela Chen to the Federal District Court for for the Eastern District of New York.
The Washington Blade reports Chen is the first openly gay Asian American to the federal bench.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer applauded the senate’s confirmation.
“Ms. Chen’s wealth of experience and devotion to public service make it clear that she will be an excellent judge,” Schumer said. “Ms. Chen has proven time and again that she is a leader and a pioneer in the legal field. I have every confidence that she will serve her jurisdiction well.”
Chen was a trial attorney in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Justice Department. She’s also worked as a criminal defense attorney and graduated from Georgetown Law in 1986.
Several other gay nominees to the federal benche await confirmation. More on that plus reaction to Chen’s confirmation can be found in the Washington Blade.
