The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Kiyo A. Matsumoto for her confirmation as a federal district court judge for the Eastern District of New York on July 17, 2008.

 
Judge Matsumoto will become the second-ever Asian Pacific American woman to serve as a federal district court judge, the third Asian Pacific American federal district court judge outside of California and Hawaii, and the eighth Asian Pacific American federal district court judge currently active out of approximately 850 federal judges nationwide.   

Nearly 11% of the population of New York State is comprised of Asian Pacific Americans and the percentage in New York City is even greater – and continues to grow at a rate that outpaces that of other ethnic groups in New York.   Her confirmation is the first to step to redress the current gross under-representation of Asian Americans on the federal bench:   there are two Asian American federal District Judges outside of the courts served by the Ninth Circuit – the Honorable Denny Chin in the Southern District of New York and Amul Thapar in the United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky.  

In addition to her distinguished record as a litigator, Judge Matsumoto has a long record of serving the legal community.  She is a longstanding member of AABANY and has devoted extensive time and attention to AABANY’s mission.  Together with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), of which AABANY is an affiliate, AABANY has supported the efforts to secure Judge Matsumoto’s nomination and confirmation.   

Chris Chan, the co-chair of the Judicial Affairs Committee said, “The appointment of Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to the federal bench is a milestone in the continuing efforts by AABANY and other concerned groups to diversify the bench. With the rapid rise in the Asian population in New York, Judge Matsumoto's appointment serves to instill confidence in the judiciary, inspire young Asians to choose law as a career and to provide a roadmap for young Asian attorneys to dedicate their lives to service.”   

Yang Chen, the president of the AABANY, adds: "Judge Matsumoto’s reputation in the United States Attorneys’ office was outstanding, and her record on the bench as a federal Magistrate Judge was exemplary.  Judge Matsumoto’s confirmation is not only well-deserved, it has been long in coming.  Her elevation is a triumph that should inspire the Asian American community, and we hope it will blaze the trail for other Asian Americans to become lawyers and judges."