CAPAC Chair Applauds Groundbreaking Judicial Confirmations

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Senate voted overwhelmingly 91 to 3 to confirm Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as confirming John Z. Lee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by a voice vote. Judge Nguyen is the first Asian American woman to serve as an appellate court judge and only the second Asian American currently serving at this level. Judge Lee will become the third Korean American Article III Judge in U.S. history and only the second Asian American Article III judge from Illinois.

Following the confirmation, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, released the following statement:

“I am thrilled that the Senate has voted to confirm two highly qualified Asian American nominees to the federal judiciary. While there is still a need for greater diversity on the federal bench, President Obama has broken historic barriers by more than doubling the number of Asian Pacific American (APA) judges from 8 to 17, including elevating the only two APA judges currently serving at the appellate court level. I commend the President for putting forth exceptionally well qualified and diverse candidates to the federal bench, and thank Majority Leader Reid for guiding these nominees through the confirmation process. Today’s confirmations mark a significant step forward for our community and important progress towards alleviating the burden created by vacant seats all across our federal judiciary.”

Background:

Jacqueline Nguyen is a graduate of UCLA School of Law, and has served as a federal district court judge for the Central District of California since 2009, where she was the first Vietnamese American Article III judge in the country and the first Asian Pacific American female Article III judge in California.  Prior to that, she served as a California state court judge for seven years where she was the first Vietnamese American female state court judge in the country. 

John Z. Lee graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and cum laude from Harvard Law School.  After graduation, Mr. Lee worked as a Trial Attorney at the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and is currently a partner with Freeborn & Peters LLP.  Mr. Lee is the President of the Board of Directors of Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services, President of the Board of Directors of Asian Human Services, and an elected Board Member for the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago.

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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.