First Vietnamese-American Federal Judge

These "firsts" are important. It is a way that we assure ourselves that we fully include and appreciate the status of an ethnic/gender group in the American dream.

According to Politico.com

"President Barack Obama announced today that he has nominated a county judge and former federal prosecutor from California, Jacqueline Nguyen, to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which is based in and around Los Angeles. If confirmed, Nguyen would become the first American of Vietnamese origin to serve as a so-called Article III, confirmed federal judge. (There is a Vietnamese-American federal magistrate in Tennessee, Tu Pham.)

Nguyen's confirmation would also boost the thin ranks of Asian-Americans on the federal bench by 12.5%--taking the tally from eight to nine out of more than 800.

Nguyen is a graduate of Occidental College and UCLA law school."