President Barack Obama on Tuesday
nominated three federal judges, including Judge Nitza I. Quinones
Alejandro, an openly lesbian Hispanic judge.
Obama nominated Quinones to serve on
the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.
If confirmed, Quinones, who was
recommended to the president by Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, would
be the first openly gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench.
She is Obama's eighth openly gay lifetime-tenured federal court
judicial nominee.
“These men and women have had
distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue
their work as judges on the federal bench,” Obama said of the
nominees. “They will serve the American people with integrity and
an unwavering commitment to justice.”
According to a White House bio,
Quinones has served as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of
Common Pleas since 1991. She received her J.D. in 1975 from the
University of Puerto Rico School of Law and her B.B.A. cum laude
in 1972 from the University of Puerto Rico.