Without Republican support, the Senate last month narrowly confirmed an open lesbian to become a federal judge in New York.
The 48–44 party-line vote made Alison Nathan, who has served as an adviser to President Obama, the third openly gay person confirmed to the federal bench. Nathan, 39, will serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Democrats praised Nathan’s work in the gay community. During the 2008 presidential campaign, she was a senior adviser to Obama. The next year, she was appointed an associate White House counsel, advising the president on judicial and legal affairs.
She graduated from Cornell University and received her law degree there. She was editor-in-chief of the law review.
—Associated Press
Comments