Lynn Nakamoto appointed to Oregon Supreme Court

She will be the first Asian American to sit on the state's highest bench.



This week in Oregon, Governor Kate Brown announced that Lynn Nakamoto has been appointed to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court. She will be the first Asian American to serve on the state's highest bench.

Oregon Governor Announces 'Historic' Supreme Court Appointment

Nakamoto, who has served on the Oregon Court of Appeals since 2011, will replace Judge Virginia L. Lander, who is stepping down from the Oregon Supreme Court at the end of the year.

Nakamoto first began practicing law in Oregon more than 30 years ago:

Chris Lu confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Labor

Only the second Asian American to hold a Deputy Secretary position in history



Confirmed. This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Christopher P. Lu as deputy secretary of labor. Lu, who was nominated in January and confirmed Tuesday on a voice vote, previously served as Assistant to the President and White House cabinet secretary during President Obama's first term.

Lu confirmed for Labor #2; Whitaker for Colombia

Lu's confirmation makes him the first Asian American to serve in a deputy secretaryship during this administration. He is also apparently only the second Asian American to hold a Deputy Secretary position in history. (Elaine Chao, former deputy secretary of Transportation in the first Bush administration, was the first.)

Here is U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez's statment on Lu's confirmation:

Obama nominates Chris Lu as Deputy Secretary of Labor

Lu previously served as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary



Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Christopher P. Lu as deputy secretary of Labor, making him the first Asian American to be nominated to a deputy secretaryship during this administration.

Obama picks his first Asian American deputy secretary of cabinet department

Lu, who served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary from 2009 to 2013, would replace deputy secretary Seth Harris, who had been in the position since 2009.

Here's more on Chris Lu, from the White House's press release:

president obama announces new aapi appointees

This week, President Obama designated Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Christopher Lu to join Education Secretary Arne Duncan as co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Lu replaces former Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who had co-chaired the White House Initiative before becoming the U.S. Ambassador to China.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint Olympic skating champion Apolo Ohno, Professor May Chen and Dr. Tung Thanh Nguyen to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Here's some more information on the appointees: