On Monday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Pamela K. Chen to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Her confirmation makes her the first openly gay, Asian American person to preside on a federal bench: Lesbian Judge Pamela Chen Appointed to Federal Bench.
Chen, who was nominated by President Obama in August with a recommendation by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, was confirmed with little opposition. She also becomes the second Chinese American woman and one of only a few out lesbians to hold one of the country's 900 lifetime federal judgeship appointments.
