Joe Biden nominates Indian-American civil rights attorney as federal judge | World News

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.