President Barack Obama on Wednesday
nominated Michael McShane to a seat on the Federal District Court in
Oregon.
McShane, 51, has been a judge on the
Mulnomah County Circuit Court in Oregon since 2001. He previously
served as a judge pro tempore on the same court from 1997 to 2001.
He served nearly a decade as a public
defender at the Office of the Metropolitan Public Defender in
Portland, Oregon prior to becoming a judge.
In 2012, he was awarded the Oregon
State Bar President's Public Service Award.
McShane graduated with honors in 1988
from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.
According to a blog post from the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), McShane's nomination is supported by Oregon
Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.
Wyden called the nomination an
“excellent choice.”
“Michael's background as a judge, a
public defender and adjunct law professor makes this a well-earned
appointment that I believe deserves quick confirmation by the
Senate,” Wyden
said.
If confirmed, McShane would become the
first openly gay federal judge in Oregon.