The U.S. Senate confirmed on Tuesday the nomination of Judge Gina Méndez Miró to the federal court of the District of Puerto Rico, making her the first LGBTQ person to serve in the position on the island.
Méndez, who previously served on the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals, was approved by a 54-45 vote margin.
The approval of Méndez into the federal judiciary comes as an attempt from Democratic lawmakers and the Biden administration to reshape the judicial branch to fit the country’s ever-changing demographics. Democratic senators say 65 of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees have been women and 68 of them have been people of color.
Méndez is the 100th Biden judicial nominee who the Senate has approved.
“As a former chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, strengthening the federal judiciary with extraordinarily qualified judges who are devoted to our Constitution and the rule of law has been among my proudest work in office,” said Biden in a press release. “I’m especially proud that the nominees I have put forward—and the Senate has confirmed—represent the diversity that is one of our best assets as a nation, and that our shared work has broken so many barriers in just two years.”
Méndez, who is currently married to Puerto Rico Supreme Court Chief Justice Maite Oronoz Rodríguez, garnered support for her confirmation from various human rights groups.
“Judge Méndez Miró is a first-rate jurist, with absolute sensitivity, deep empathy and a great sense of justice,” said Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of Puerto Rico Para Todes, a Puerto Rican LGBTQ rights group. “Puerto Rico must feel very proud of her career and performance, as I know she will continue to do from this new position.”
Waves Ahead, an organization that offers support to LGBTQ Puerto Ricans and other marginalized and vulnerable groups on the island, also commended the Senate for approving Méndez’s nomination.
“The day that celebrates love gives us a historic confirmation,” said the organization on Facebook.
Story courtesy of the Washington Blade via the National LGBTQ Media Association. The National LGBTQ Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: https://nationallgbtmediaassociation.com/