WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Tuesday nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, who currently serves on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, for a federal judgeship with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Quiñones would become the first openly gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench.
Nitza Quiñones Alejandro
Quiñones previously worked as a staff attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from 1979 to 1991, and she served as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1977 to 1979.
She began her legal career as a staff attorney for Community Legal Services, Inc. in Philadelphia.
Quiñones received her law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 1975 and her bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico in 1972 according to a biography provided by the White House.
In addition, Obama also nominated Luis Felipe Restrepo and Jeffrey L. Schmehl to fill vacancies on the same U.S. District Court.
“These nominees are emblematic of the President’s commitment to nominating qualified, diverse nominees to the federal bench,” said Marge Baker of People For the American Way. “They are also a sign of the president’s commitment to solving the vacancy crisis in our federal courts without delay.”
“I’m pleased that the White House has nominated these exceptionally qualified members of the legal community to the bench,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.). “I was proud to work in a bipartisan fashion with Sen. (Patrick) Toomey to nominate these individuals, and I’m hopeful that the Senate will work in a constructive manner to confirm them to the bench in the near future.”
“I’m confident that these individuals who Sen. Toomey and I have recommended and the White House has nominated will serve with the highest standards and discharge justice in a fair and impartial way,” he said.
Filed under: Pennsylvania
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Yeah Obama’s a great guy alright.
a hispanic lesbian republicans are shitting themselves.
*Robert Frie- The hell are you tinfoil hatting about?
Yeah Robert I’m confused, I’m all in for education could you enlighten me as to where you were going with that.
Her sexual orientation is meaningless… Her race is meaningless… Her gender is meaningless… Stop focusing on the meaningless and focus on her QUALIFICATION for the position.
Of course he did…she was perfect for the job.
Robert is talking about Abdulrahman alAwlaki who was killed by a drone strike while visiting Yemen.
Maryann – her gender and sexual orientation isn’t meaningless to those in the community eager for role models. Ultimately it should NOT matter, but as it still does, let’s celebrate this President for honoring and promoting diversity.
@Maryann Fläsch – it’s meaningful to mention her orientation because it shows advancement and progress for the community. p.s.: this is an LGBT page, so if they don’t mention it, we’d all wonder why they reported it, if they’re lgbt or straight-ally, etc. And, if you bothered to read the article, they did cover her qualifications quite well.
Maryann… Last I checked we live in America, not Utopia. As long as people are still discriminated against, denied basic civil rights, and are the victims of hate based violence simply because of gender, race, and sexual orientation, than those things are not meaningless.
Throughout history there have been minority people QUALIFIED for a job who have been discriminated against for not being in the good ole boy club…
Simply recognizing the existence of qualified minority people is meaningful, and in fact, revolutionary.
She’s a non-white, lesbian, female being recognized as worthy of a top government position. That’s far from meaningless.
Wow, is Obama trying to piss off the GOP? I mean….A WOMAN who isn’t WHITE who happens to be a LESBIAN? Three strikes she’s out.
Good for him. I hope she does the job well. It’s good to see more representation in there. Keep it up Pres.
i love our presidents iconoclism…(^_-) and and his wisdom in using it !!!
I am not Hispanic. However, I am a woman and with that alone this is Awsome. Being open about being a lesbian is an even bigger plus. I just wish ppl would see that its not what we do behind closed doors, in the privacy of our homes, that get ppl like this elected. It’s education, dedication, sacrifice and hard work that put her here.
Good Ole Obama!
Well, my personal shero, Barbara Jordan, is still widely respected,! Most folks don’t know that she was a lesbian as well as a woman of color. At that time, coming out might have destroyed her career, although the sheer force of her personality might have carried her through ! I’ve always wondered !
Just another step towards an even leveled playing field.
do it closer to victory
Charlie Rogers’ Trial Won’t Be Moved