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7.19.2008

kiyo matsumoto confirmed as next federal judge

Last week, the full United States Senate unanimously confirmed Kiyo Matsumoto to be the next federal judge in the Eastern District of New York, making her only the second woman of Asian decent ever confirmed to the federal bench: New judge appointed for Eastern District on NY.

Matsumoto currently serves as a Federal Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York, where she has managed a docket of over 300 cases for three years. Prior to her appointment as Federal Magistrate Judge, Ms. Matsumoto served the in U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for over 20 years, as Chief and First Deputy Chief of the Civil Division.

In addition to being the second Asian American woman to serve as a federal district court judge, she's the third Asian American federal district court judge outside of California and Hawaii, and the eighth Asian American federal Senate-confirmed judge currently active out of approximately 850 nationwide.