Who Is Sarala Vidya Nagala, Indian-American Attorney Nominated As Federal Judge?

Who is Sarala Vidya Nagala? Indian-American civil rights attorney Sarala Vidya Nagala, who is working as a federal prosecutor in New Haven, Connecticut, has been nominated by US President Joe Biden as a federal judge in the state. She brings 13-year-long experience to the table. The appointment, if comes through, will make her the first judge of South Asian descent to serve on the federal bench in the state, media reports suggest. Besides her, Biden has also announced the names of four more judicial nominees on June 15.

The new nomination of Vidya Nagala and others, according to the White House, is a continuation to fulfill President Biden's "promise to ensure that the nation's courts reflect the diversity that is one of the greatest assets as a country -- both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds," a statement said.

Who is Sarala Vidya Nagala?

Indian-American Vidya Nagala is a nominee to serve as a United States federal judge for the District of Connecticut after the seat was vacated by Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant, who was promoted to a senior position on February 1, 2021. The potential candidate, if confirmed by the Senate, will receive a wide opportunity to use the leadership qualities that she has developed in many roles during her tenure at the US Attorney’s Office. Currently, she is tasked as the deputy chief at the office of the major crime and national security in Connecticut, a position she has been holding since 2017.

She joined the US Attorney’s Office as an assistant attorney in 2012 and has been serving the state for over nine years now. In 2016, she took over the position of deputy chief. In her leadership role in the office, for the past four years, Vidya Nagala has provided extensive results in a number of projects, including as Hate Crimes Coordinator, the White House announcement revealed. She had previously overseen the programs at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California as an associate. She worked there between 2009 to 2012.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Vidya Nagala earned her law degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law in 2008 and her B.A. from Stanford University in 2005. She began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Susan Graber on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit where she worked for a year before moving to a prominent California law firm Munger, Tolles, & Olson in the year 2009. Read more on her here.

BShe was chosen for this nomination being an "extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and US Constitution," the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

Feature Image Credit: LinkedIn