senate confirms edmond e. chang for federal judgeship

Over the weekend, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm Chicago federal prosecutor Edmond E. Change for a vacant judicial seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois -- making him the state's first-ever Senate-approved Asian American federal trial court judge: Senate approves Chicago prosecutor for federal judgeship.

Born in New York to parents who emigrated from Taiwan, Chang graduated from the University of Michigan before receiving a law degree from Northwestern University in 1994. After clerking for two federal judges in Chicago, Chang worked briefly for the Sidley Austin law firm before becoming a Chicago-based assistant U.S. attorney in 1999. He is the chief of appeals for the Northern District's criminal division.

"I'm humbled at this privilege, and I'm looking forward to serving the public this way," Chang said in a brief interview Sunday.

In April, President Barack Obama nominated Chang to replace Judge Elaine Bucklo, who had taken a form of retirement known as senior status. The nomination came after Chang had applied for the post in 2009 through a merit-screening committee for federal judicial vacancies that had been established by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Durbin then recommended the names of Chang and six other individuals to Obama, who made the final decision.

Chang's confirmation, which came during the tail end of the Senate's lame-duck session, also makes him, at 40-years-old, the youngest federal trial court judge in the nation. For more information and background on Edmond E. Chang, go to his Judgepedia entry here.