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CAPAC Praises Nomination of Vince Girdhari Chhabria to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

July 25, 2013

Washington, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Vince Girdhari Chhabria to serve on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. If confirmed, Chhabria will be the first person of South Asian descent to ever serve as an Article III judge in California’s history.  Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), CAPAC Chair: “I commend President Obama for his nomination of Vince Girdhari Chhabria to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Mr. Chhabria is extremely well-qualified and possesses the temperament and talent that will make him an excellent judge. I thank the President for his commitment to putting forth highly qualified and diverse judicial nominees, and urge my Senate colleagues to move swiftly on Mr. Chhabria’s confirmation.”

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus: "I am proud that President Obama has furthered his commitment to diversity by nominating Vince Chhabria to serve as a federal judge in California.  If confirmed, he would be the first South Asian to serve on the federal bench in my home state, continuing the promise of a judiciary that reflects the multicultural heritage of America."

Congressman Ami Bera (CA-07): “I applaud President Obama’s nomination of Vince Chhabria to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. With many years of experience in the public and private sectors, including a clerkship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and nearly eight years as Chief of Appellate Litigation in San Francisco City Attorney’s office, Vince would make an outstanding judge. His appointment would also be a historic moment for California’s Indian American and South Asian community.”

Vince Chhabria currently serves as the Deputy City Attorney for Government Litigation and as the Co-Chief of Appellate Litigation at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Prior to public service, Chhabria spent several years working in the private sector in San Francisco, first as an associate at Keker & Van Nest and later at Covington & Burling. He has held clerkships at all three levels of the federal courts, including clerkships with Judge Charles R. Breyer on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge James R. Browning on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Chhabria received his J.D. in 1998 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. in 1991 from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all