CAPAC Applauds Confirmation of Vince Girdhari Chhabria to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Washington, D.C. – Today, the United States Senate confirmed Vince Girdhari Chhabria by a 58-41 vote to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He is the first person of South Asian descent to ever serve as an Article III judge in California’s history. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“I congratulate Vince Chhabria on his historic confirmation to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He brings a wealth of experience and talent from his distinguished legal career and will serve the people of California honorably. I commend President Obama for his tremendous leadership in nominating highly qualified and diverse candidates to the federal bench, and thank my Senate colleagues for moving this confirmation forward. I am proud to have supported Mr. Chhabria throughout his nomination process and wish him the best in his new role.”

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus:
“I am thrilled that Vince Girdhari Chhabria has been confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. His confirmation marks a historic moment for the AAPI community. Mr. Chhabria possesses a sharp legal mind and will be an asset to the bench. I commend my Senate colleagues for confirming him and applaud President Obama for nominating such a highly qualified and diverse judicial nominee.”

Congressman Ami Bera (CA-07):
“Vince Chhabria will make an excellent judge for the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California, and I’m delighted that he was confirmed. He has many years of experience in the public and private sectors, including a clerkship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and nearly eight years as Chief of Appellate Litigation in San Francisco City Attorney’s office, and is well-prepared for this post. As the first South Asian to serve on the federal bench in California, he has also made California’s Indian American and South Asian community proud.”

Background:
Vince Chhabria currently serves as the Deputy City Attorney for Government Litigation and Co-Chief of Appellate Litigation at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Prior to his career in public service, Chhabria spent several years working in the private sector, first as an associate at Keker & Van Nest and later at Covington & Burling. He has held clerkships at all three levels of the federal courts, including clerkships with Judge Charles R. Breyer on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge James R. Browning on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Chhabria received his J.D. in 1998 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. in 1991 from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

###

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.