by Jonathan Arogeti
“President Obama’s judges have shattered barriers across the country,” writes Senior Counsel to the President Christopher Kang.
In a post titled, “Federal Judges That Resemble the Nation They Serve,” Kang notes t
hat the president has doubled the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander federal judges over the past three years.
The Senate recently confirmed Miranda Du to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, albeit after dragging the process out for 239 days. Judge Du (pictured with Sen. Reid) is the 16th Asian American and Pacific Islander judge in the country. But despite support by Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller, Republican Governor Brian Sandoval, Republican Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki and Republican Mayor of Reno Robert Cashell -- in addition to support of Obama and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) -- only five Republican senators joined Sens. Reid and Heller in her confirmation vote.
President Obama’s commitment to diversifying the federal bench was explored in a report issued earlier this year by the Brookings Institution. Russell Wheeler, the report’s author, highlights that only 38 percent of the president’s nominees are white males. That figure contrasts with a 66 percent rate under President George W. Bush and a 53 percent rate under President Bill Clinton.