Indian American trial lawyer Amit Mehta nominated by Obama to the US District Court for the District of Columbia

Likely 1st Asian Pacific American to serve as a federal trial judge in Washington.

By Sujeet Rajan

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama has chosen vastly experienced trial lawyer Amit Mehta, a Washington, DC-based partner at Zuckerman Spaeder, as nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He would be the first Asian Pacific American to serve as a federal trial judge in Washington if confirmed.

Mehta is a trial lawyer with a broad practice, covering criminal investigations, regulatory agency actions and complex business disputes, among other things, according to a report by the National Law Journal, which first reported his nomination.

Mehta has been an attorney at Zuckerman since 2007 and a partner since 2010, according to the White House. From 2002 to 2007, he was a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. He was an associate at Zuckerman from 1999 to 2002 and at Latham & Watkins from 1997 to 1998.

“Amit Mehta has had a distinguished legal career and will serve admirably on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,” Bill Simonitsch, president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to ensure a speedy confirmation for Mr. Mehta.”

According to the Journal, if confirmed, Mehta would be Obama’s 10th pick to the D.C. federal trial court. He would fill the vacancy left by U.S. District Senior Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle when she took senior status.

Zuckerman partner Roger Zuckerman said in a statement that Mehta’s “remarkable judgment, character, and intelligence will serve to strengthen our nation’s justice system.”

U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., who recommended Mehta to the White House, released a statement saying Mehta’s “academic credentials and professional experience, particularly his 450 pro bono hours in the past four years, speak volumes about his character and his dedication to the legal system.”

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement on Mehta’s nomination: “Amit has led a distinguished legal career and brings with him successful trial and litigation experience. His diverse perspective will be welcome on the court, and I urge the Senate to act quickly to confirm Amit.”

Mehta earned his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1997, and completed his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University. He clerked for Judge Susan Graber of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, according to the White House.