Pamela K. Chen
Pamela K. Chen | |
|---|---|
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| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York | |
| Assumed office March 5, 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Raymond J. Dearie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pamela Ki Mai Chen March 30, 1961 Chicago, Illinois |
| Education | University of Michigan (B.A.) Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.) |
Pamela Ki Mai Chen (born March 30, 1961) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Biography[]
Chen was born in 1961 in Chicago, Illinois.[1] She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 from the University of Michigan. She received her Juris Doctor in 1986 from Georgetown University Law Center. She started her career at the law firm of Arnold & Porter from 1986 to 1989 and then at the criminal defense law firm of Asbill, Junkin, Myers & Buffone from 1989 to 1991, both law firms located in Washington, D.C. From 1991 to 1998, she was a trial attorney in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice. Beginning in 1998, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, except for a four-month period in 2008, when she served as Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement for the New York State Division of Human Rights. During her service in the United States Attorney's Office, she held many supervisory positions, including Chief of the Civil Rights Section and Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section.[2][3]
Federal judicial service[]
On August 2, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Chen to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, to the seat vacated by Judge Raymond J. Dearie who took senior status on April 3, 2011.[2] Her nomination came at the recommendation of Senator Chuck Schumer.[4] On September 19, 2012, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination and reported her nomination to the floor on December 6, 2012, by voice vote.[5] On January 2, 2013, her nomination was returned to the President, due to the sine die adjournment of the Senate. On January 3, 2013, she was renominated to the same office. Her nomination was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 14, 2013, by voice vote.[6] On March 4, 2013, the U.S. Senate confirmed Chen's nomination by voice vote. She received her commission on March 5, 2013. Chen is the first openly LGBTQ+ Asian-American person to serve on the federal bench.[7]
It has been speculated that Chen or fellow U.S. District judge Alison Nathan could be appointed to a vacancy on the Second Circuit.[8] If nominated and confirmed to the Second Circuit, Chen or Nathan would be the first LGBTQ+ woman to serve as an appellate judge in the U.S. federal court system.[9][10]
See also[]
- List of Asian American jurists
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first women lawyers and judges in New York
References[]
- ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Nomination Questionnaire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "President Obama Nominates Pamela Chen to Serve on the US District Court". whitehouse.gov. 2 August 2012 – via National Archives.
- ^ "Chen, Pamela Ki Mai – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ "News release from Schumer's office".
- ^ "Executive Business Meeting, December 6, 2012". Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ "President Obama Re-nominates Thirty-Three to Federal Judgeships". whitehouse.gov. 3 January 2013 – via National Archives.
- ^ "Barack Obama nominates Chinese-American lesbian Pamela Ki Mai Chen for federal judgeship".
- ^ Alder, Madison. "Biden Can Flip Second Circuit After Judge Hall Goes Senior (1)". Bloomberg Law. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ Lesh, Eric. "Obama Appoints Record Number of Gay Judges, but Senate Obstruction Persists". Lambda Legal: Making the Case for Equality. Lambda Legal. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ Todd, Ross. "SoCal Prosecutor Patrick Bumatay Confirmed to Ninth Circuit Seat". Law.com: The Recorder. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
External links[]
- Pamela K. Chen at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Pamela Ki Mai Chen at Ballotpedia
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- 1961 births
- Living people
- Lawyers from Chicago
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
- American women judges
- American jurists of Chinese descent
- Assistant United States Attorneys
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- University of Michigan alumni
- Lesbians
- LGBT American people of Asian descent
- LGBT judges
- LGBT lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- Arnold & Porter people
- LGBT appointed officials in the United States
- 21st-century women judges
- 21st-century American women