In another step toward equality for all, the US Senate confirmed James Paul Oetken, a law professor at Fordham, Greenwich Village resident, and openly gay man, to the federal judiciary yesterday.
Oetken was recommended to President Obama by Senator Charles Schumer earlier this year, and was approved by an overwhelming margin of 80-to-13. "His confirmation moves us one step closer toward equality," said Schumer. "As the first openly gay man to be confirmed as a federal judge, Paul Oetken is living proof that it really does get better." (Read his full remarks here). Anthony Varona, formerly of the rights group Human Rights Campaign who's now a dean at American University's law school, called Oetken "a phenomenally brilliant lawyer and tremendous source of pride for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community." Meanwhile, Oetken's 73-year-old father chipped in with "it's pretty cool. We couldn't be more happy or proud of Paul."
Oetken graduated from Yale Law School and formerly served as Cablevision's associate general counsel. He will now help oversee the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, described as "one of the most influential and active federal courts in the nation." There has been only one previous openly gay judge on the federal bench, Deborah Batts, who was nominated by Bill Clinton to the same court in 1994.
