APABA Congratulates Founding Member Jacqueline Nguyen On Historic Confirmation as U.S. Federal District Court Judge
December 08, 2009The Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) of Los Angeles (www.apabala.org) congratulates Jacqueline H. Nguyen on her historic nomination and confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Yesterday, in an overwhelming show of confidence in her qualifications, the United States Senate confirmed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Nguyen by a vote of 97-0, making her the first Vietnamese American to become an Article III judge. APABA also applauds California Senator Diane Feinstein for recommending Judge Nguyen and President Barack Obama for nominating her.
“Judge Nguyen’s confirmation is very special to us,” said Edward Lew, APABA president. “She was a founding member of APABA and served as our second president. Her commitment to access, inclusion, and diversity, however, goes beyond APABA. She has been a member of the Women Lawyer Association of Los Angeles, the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Orange County, the Korean American Bar Association, the Japanese American Bar Association, and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. Indeed, the entire Los Angeles legal community is celebrating her confirmation.”
Judge Nguyen’s life and accomplishments are distinctly American. Born in Dalat, South Vietnam, Judge Nguyen fled with her family to the United States in 1975, settling in California. Her parents had to work several jobs simultaneously to support their children. Often, Judge Nguyen worked alongside them as a child. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she graduated from Occidental College and UCLA School of Law. She worked as an associate at Musick, Peeler & Garrett in Los Angeles before joining the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office. Judge Nguyen was appointed to the California Superior Court by former Governor Gray Davis in 2002.
“Judge Nguyen will be a great addition to the federal judiciary. She is eminently qualified because of her years of service in the California state courts. Just as important is the unique and rich perspective she will bring to the federal courts because of her background. APABA hopes that Magistrate Edward Chen, Dolly Gee, and Judge Denny Chin’s respective nominations will similarly be confirmed without undue delay by the Senate,” stated Bryant Yang, APABA board member.
