Biden names four AAPI judges for the federal bench

In announcing his first judicial candidates, President Biden continued his vow to make government look like America. Of the 11 nominees are four history-making Asian American candidates.

“These nominees consist of attorneys who have excelled in the legal field in a wide range of positions, including as renowned jurists, public defenders, prosecutors, in the private sector, in the military, and as public servants at all levels of government,” Biden said, announcing the nominations on March 30. 

The four AAPI candidates are:

• Judge Zahid N. Quaraishi to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, who will be the first Muslim American federal judge; 
• Judge Florence Y. Pan to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who will be the first AAPI woman to ever serve on that court; 
• Judge Regina Rodriguez to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, who will be the first AAPI to serve as an Article III judge in the 10th Circuit; and 
• Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. 

"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., said Representative Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. "Ensuring diversity on our courts is part of ensuring justice."

It will take a while before President Biden can balance out the right-wing tilt of Donald Trump's judge selections during his four years in office. He was helped by Senate Leader Mitch McConnell who made churning out conservative judges, many of whom were not qualified, according to national bar associations, a hallmark of his leadership.

Currently, there are 72 current vacancies on federal courts throughout the United States, and an additional 28 judges have announced their intention to retire. During the Trump administration, approximately 220 judges were confirmed. Eleven of Trump's picks were Asian American.

Judge Rodriguez will make history on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado where she will bring her years of experience with complex litigation and government investigations to her new role. 

Her father’s family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Her mother’s family, she said, is Japanese American and was held in an internment camp in Wyoming during World War II.

“I’m very proud of coming from that background and then being able to serve the public for many years,” she said.

Judge Quraishi, a Pakistani American who will become the first Muslim American federal judge if confirmed, has had an extensive legal career in the private realm and with the Department of Justice. Currently, Quraishi is an U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he was appointed to in 2019.

Judge Florence Pan has served as an Associate Judge on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia since 2009. She is also a former attorney for the DOJ  as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she also served as Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division from 2007 to 2009. From 1998 to 1999, she worked at the United States Department of Treasury, first as a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets in 1998 and then as a Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Domestic Finance in 1999. 

If her nomination is approved, she would be the first Asian American justice on the District Court for the District of Columbia.

Judge Puttagunta’s history of work on family law and her time as an Administrative Judge for the D.C. Rental Housing Commission are vital for the work of protecting families.  As a private attorney, the Indian American devoted hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services by volunteering at D.C. Superior Court’s Family Court Self-Help Center and Attorney Negotiator Program and representing victims of domestic violence in D.C.

Among the first batch of judges nominated by President Biden are four AAI justices. From top left, clockwise: Florence Pan, Regina Rodriguez, Zahid N. Quaraishi and Rupa Ranga Puttagunta. 

"I am proud to support these exceptional candidates who all deserve immediate consideration in the Senate," said Chu. "And I am grateful to President Biden for his commitment to building a government that looks more like America.”

Biden’s first round of judicial picks was his effort to begin to diversify the federal bench. The great majority of Trump's judges were white men. Biden is diversifying not only the ethnic backgrounds of his candidates but their professional ones as well, seeking out nominees with varied legal careers.

“We have a real opportunity to remake what the judiciary looks like and remake it in a way that looks like the country and the lawyers that practice in it,” said Neil Eggleston, who served as President Barack Obama’s White House counsel from 2014 to 2017 and supports the new approach.

Diversity extended beyond just race. The President made sure that his judicial selections had a diverse legal backgrounds as well, a departure from the corporate lawyers that Trump favored.

Among those named last week were nominees with experience as military and family court judges, a county administrator, an intellectual property lawyer and Public Defenders. Biden began his legal career as a Public Defender.

“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession," said Biden in a statement. "Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people — and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.”

“These nominees consist of attorneys who have excelled in the legal field in a wide range of positions," said Biden, "including as renowned jurists, public defenders, prosecutors, in the private sector, in the military, and as public servants at all levels of government.”