Judicial Diversity Efforts Help Pave the Way for AAPI Judges

Asian American Pacific Islander judges said they have benefited from efforts to diversify the federal bench, but stereotypes about people of color still make it difficult to move up the career ladder in private practice.

Judge Pamela Chen of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York said her identities as a woman, an Asian, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community have served as a “plus for me when I was coming to the bench” because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) valued diversity while recommending her to the federal bench.

“It’s a plus, but it’s ...