The action was history-making in several ways. Judge Darrin Gayles, confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is the first openly gay African-American man to be confirmed as a lifetime-appointed federal judge, according to a White House press release. He was previously a circuit judge in Florida.
Staci Yandle, confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, is the first African-American to serve on her court and the first openly gay lifetime-appointed federal judge in Illinois. Yandle, who has practiced law for more than 20 years, is only the second out African-American lesbian confirmed to a federal judgeship. The first was Deborah Batts in the Southern District of New York, nominated by President Clinton 20 years ago. With Yandle’s confirmation, President Obama has appointed more women judges than any other president, breaking the record set by Clinton.
Also confirmed today was a straight nominee, Salvador Mendoza, who becomes the first Hispanic judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Obama has now also appointed more Hispanic judges than any other president, breaking the record previously held by President George W. Bush. Obama had already nominated more African-American judges and openly gay and lesbian judges than any of his predecessors.
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