Indian-American nominated as Federal judge in US

Washington: Indian-American civil rights lawyer appointed as a federal judge in Conneticut by US President. Upon Senate confirmation, Sarala Vidya Nagala would be the first woman of South Asian descent to serve on the Connecticut District Court.  Nagala currently serves as the Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit at the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, a position she has held since 2017.

Her leadership qualities have been used in many roles during her tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including serving as a ‘Hate Crimes Coordinator’. Prior to this, Nagala worked as an associate at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California, from 2009 to 2012.  Nagala began her legal career as Brooke Graber’s law clerk on the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals in 2008. After earning a Juris Doctor degree from Berkeley School of Law in 2008, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 2005, she began her career as a lawyer.

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Nagala was nominated, along with four other candidates for the federal bench and two for the District of Columbia courts. The White House said in a statement on Tuesday that the nominees are ‘extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law’ and US Constitution’. By nominating Nagala and others, President Biden continues to fulfill his campaign promise that the nation’s courts will ‘reflect the diversity that is one of the greatest assets as a country, both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.’