Nitza Quiñones Alejandro became the first openly gay, Latina woman confirmed to the federal judiciary after a voice vote by the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
The Puerto Rican judge was nominated by President Obama to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Her appointment makes her the seventh openly gay judge on the federal bench.
“We are very pleased to see yet another highly qualified, openly-LGBT nominee appointed to the bench. These sorts of appointments should be based on merit which in this situation is the case,” said Human Rights Campaign spokesman Paul Guequierre.
Quiñones Alejandro is no stranger to breaking barriers. She was the first Latina woman to serve as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas when she was appointed in 1991.
Quiñones stated at a hearing earlier this year, that the most important characteristic for a judge to possess is integrity.
“In exercising integrity, the judge must also be a good listener, patient, fair, impartial, courteous, reasonable, ethical, and decisive,” she said. “I believe I possess these qualities.”
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