The U.S. Senate confirmed Indian American Amit Priyavadan Mehta as judge for

The U.S. Senate confirmed Indian American Amit Priyavadan Mehta as judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

He becomes the first Asian Pacific American to serve as a federal district court judge in the District of Columbia.

Nominated by President Barack Obama in July, Mehta has been a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP since 2010, where he represents clients in civil and criminal cases.

He received his law degree in 1997 from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. in 1993 from Georgetown University.

Recognized nationally by The National Law Journal and Benchmark Litigation, Mehta was born in India and came to the U.S. when he was one year old.

“We are pleased that the Senate confirmed Amit Mehta in short order given his exceptional qualifications,” Mansi Shah, president of the South Asian Bar Association of North America, said in a statement.

Mehta is not the highest-ranking Asian American judge serving in the District of Columbia.

Indian American Srikath “Sri” Srinivasan was confirmed May 23, 2013, to serve as U.S. Court of Appeals judge for the D.C. Circuit, often called the country’s second most powerful court and considered a fast track to a U.S. Supreme Court appointment.

Source AP