Obama Nominates Openly Gay Man To Be Federal Judge

J. Paul Oetken, 44

As MadProfessah noted last year, President Barack Obama has nominated an openly gay man, J. Paul Oetken, to be a U.S. district court judge for the Southern District of New York, one of the most prestigious and well-known courts in the country, since it covers Manhattan. Interestingly, Oetken, if confirmed by the United States Senate would not only become the second openly LGBT judge in the country, he would become the second out LGBT judge in the Southern District of New York! Deborah Batts, a Black lesbian, has been serving there as a federal judge since nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Oetken's official biography, as distributed by the White House:

J. Paul Oetken: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

J. Paul Oetken is Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Cablevision Systems Corporation in Bethpage, New York, a position he has held since 2004.  Prior to joining Cablevision, Oetken worked at Debevoise & Plimpton, where he was counsel from 2003 to 2004 and an associate from 2001 to 2003.  Oetken joined the White House Counsel’s Office as Associate Counsel to the President in 1999 and worked there until 2001.  From 1997 to 1999, Oetken was an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice in the Office of Legal Counsel.  Prior to that, he worked as an associate at Jenner & Block for approximately two years.  From 1993 to 1994, Oetken served as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry A. Blackmun of the U.S. Supreme Court; from 1992 to 1993, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Louis F. Oberdorfer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and from 1991 to 1992, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Richard D. Cudahy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  Oetken received his J.D. in 1991 from Yale Law School, and his B.A. with highest distinction in 1988 from the University of Iowa.

R. Vaughn Walker, the openly gay federal judge who struck down Proposition 8 as unconstituional, has retired as of December 31, 2010.

Hat/tip to Chris Geidner of Poliglot!