Patrick Bumatay
Bloomberg Law reports that the Trump Administration is Picking AAPI Lawyers for Circuit Court Positions. While overall diversity is going down, recent judicial nominations include a notable number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. These include Eric Tung for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California. Tom Lee, Fordham Law School Professor and co-director of its Center on Asian Americans and the Law, commented the following:
There’s actually a large pool of ideologically conservative Asian Americans with the sufficient experience and credentials to make plausible appellate court picks.
This continues a trend started in Trump’s first term. Trump appointed 7 of the 11 active circuit judges who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander during his first term. In contract, George W. Bush appointed zero AAPIs to life-long appellate bench positions. Trump’s choices have been surprising diverse, including Patrick Bumatay, a Filipino American who is openly gay.
You can see more information on AAPI Federal judicial appointments in the article, including the track records of previous administrations.
