WASHINGTON: Biden Nominates Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta As Judge Of DC District Court

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday
announced his intent to nominate Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as a
federal judge, among 10 other diverse picks for top judicial positions which
include African-American and Muslim American candidates.

Among the
presidential nominations, 10 are for Federal Circuit and District Court judge
posts, and one is for Superior Court Judge for the District of Columbia.

These
highly-qualified candidates reflect the president’s deeply-held conviction that
the federal bench should reflect the full diversity of the American people –
both in background and in professional experience, the White House said.

If
confirmed by the US Senate, Judge Puttagunta would be the first Asian American
and Pacific Islander (AAPI) woman to serve on the US District Court for the
District of DC, the White House said.

Judge
Puttagunta currently serves as an Administrative Judge for the D.C. Rental
Housing Commission. Prior to joining the Commission in 2019, Judge Puttagunta
was a solo practitioner from 2013 to 2019, representing indigent criminal
defendants in trial and on appeal.

Before
opening her own practice, Judge Puttagunta practised family and appellate law
at Delaney McKinney, LLP from 2012 to 2013.

While
working on domestic relations matters in private practice, Judge Puttagunta
also provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services by volunteering at
D.C. Superior Court”s Family Court Self-Help Center and Attorney Negotiator
Program and representing victims of domestic violence in D.C. Superior Court.

Judge
Puttagunta began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge William M. Jackson
of the D.C. Superior Court from 2008 to 2010, as well as the Senior Judges of
the D.C. Court of Appeals from 2010 to 2011.

Judge
Puttagunta received her Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State Moritz College of
Law in 2007.

The
nominations announced on Tuesday also include three African American women and
a Muslim American.

If
confirmed by the Senate, Judge Zahid N Quraishi would be the first Muslim
American federal judge in US history.

Of
Pakistani descent, Judge Quraishi is a United States Magistrate Judge for the
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he was appointed
to in 2019.

 Prior to his appointment, Judge
Quraishi was a partner at Riker Danzig where he chaired the firm”s White
Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group and served as his firm”s
first Chief Diversity Officer.