New Delhi: Arun Subramanian became the first Indian American to be appointed as the District Judge for the Southern District of New York, the United States Senate confirmed on Tuesday, thus making him the first South Asian judge to serve on this bench.


The Senate confirmed Subramanian's nomination by a vote of 58-37 on Tuesday evening, PTI reported.


The Senate Judiciary Committee took to Twitter to make the announcement. 




"We have confirmed Arun Subramanian as an SDNY (Southern District of New York) judge. He's a son of Indian immigrants and the 1st South Asian-American judge confirmed to SDNY — which has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country. He's dedicated his career to fighting for people," Senate Majority Leader Senate Chuck Schumer said immediately after the confirmation vote.


Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Subramanian is the "epitome of the American Dream and a history maker": the child of hard-working immigrants from India, he will become the first South Asian to preside in the Southern District, which has one of the largest South Asian populations in the country.


"Mr. Subramanian's resume tells a very clear story: he is excellent, he is accomplished, he's dedicated his entire career fighting for average Americans. He served as a law clerk to Judge Dennis Jacobs on the Second Circuit, Judge Gerard Lynch in the Southern District of New York, and the late, great, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," he said.


Schumer further stated, "He's an expert in consumer protection with years of experience defending those injured by unfair, illegal practices. He's also defended victims of child trafficking in pornography. Our courts need more people like Arun Subramanian."


Subramanian was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979. His parents immigrated to America from India in the early 1970s. His father served as a control systems engineer at several companies; his mother worked several jobs, including as a bookkeeper, according to PTI.


In 2001, he graduated summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor's degree in computer science and English. Three years later, he earned his law degree from Columbia Law School as a James Kent & Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He also served as executive articles editor for the Columbia Law Review.


Currently, a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York, where he has worked since 2007, Subramanian served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court of the United States from 2006 to 2007.


He also worked as a law clerk for Judge Dennis Jacobs on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2004 to 2005.


Among his victories include securing more than USD400 million for state and federal governments through a lawsuit connected to Novartis Pharmaceuticals; gaining USD590 million in settlements from LIBOR in an ongoing price-fixing class action; and achieving a USD100 million judgment in a federal residential mortgage-backed securities case against Flagstar Bank after the crisis of 2008.


(With inputs from PTI)