WASHINGTON: Biden Nominates Indian-American Civil Rights Attorney As Federal Judge

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has
nominated an Indian-American civil rights attorney as a federal judge in the
State of Connecticut.

If
confirmed by the Senate, federal prosecutor Sarala Vidya Nagala would become
the first judge of South Asian descent to serve on the District Court for the
District of Connecticut.

Nagala is
currently serving as the Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit in the US
Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, a role she has held since
2017.

She
joined the US Attorney’s Office in 2012, and has served in a number of
leadership roles, including as Hate Crimes Coordinator. Previously, Nagala was
an associate at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California from
2009 to 2012.

Nagala
began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Susan Graber on the US Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009. She received her Juris Doctor
degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law in 2008 and
her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 2005.

The
nomination of Nagala came along with four other new candidates for the federal
bench and two for District of Columbia courts.

All of
them are “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule
of law and US Constitution,” the White House said in a statement on
Tuesday.

The
nomination of Nagala and others continue to fulfil President Biden’s
“promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is
one of the greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and
professional backgrounds,” it said.