NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Judge Rita F. Lin to the U.S. District Court

For Immediate Release:
September 20, 2023

NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Judge Rita F. Lin to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Rita F. Lin to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Lin is the first Chinese American female Article III judge in the district’s nearly 175-year history that serves San Francisco and San Jose.  

“Judge Lin’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California yesterday marks a historic milestone in a city where one-fifth of the population is Chinese American,” said Sandra Leung, President of NAPABA. “A past NAPABA Best Under 40 awardee, she is the first Chinese American female to ever serve on this court. NAPABA is proud to have supported Judge Lin’s nomination to the bench.”

In 2018, Judge Rita Lin was appointed by Governor Edmund Brown Jr. to the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Previously, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of California and a partner at Morrison Foerster, where she focused on complex civil cases and financial services. She had an active pro bono practice at the firm, including successfully challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Judge Lin clerked for the Honorable Sandra Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. In 2017, NAPABA honored her with its Best Under 40 award. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. from Harvard College. 

“Judge Lin is the 23rd Article III judge nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “President Biden has appointed and confirmed more Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander judges than any president in history. Today, there are 56 active AANHPI Article III judges.”

NAPABA thanks Senators Feinstein and Padilla of California for recommending and supporting their nominations.  

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession,