The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley (APABA-SV) applauds the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of San Francisco Deputy City Attorney Vince Chhabria to the United States District Court, Northern District of California on March 5, 2014.

Judge Chhabria is the first person of South Asian descent to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in California, and will be one of 22 active Asian Pacific American Article III judges in the nation. “We are proud to have supported Judge Chhabria and pleased that his confirmation will bring much-needed diversity to the federal bench,” said Brian Wong, President of APABA-SV.

Judge Chhabria has served as Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office since 2005 and is co-chief of appellate litigation. His distinguished legal career includes clerkships for judges at all three levels of the federal courts, including Judge Charles R. Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Chhabria also spent several years in private practice at the San Francisco firms of Keker & Van Nest and Covington & Burling. He has received honors from the California Daily Journal, International Municipal Lawyers Association, The Recorder, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

A San Francisco native, Judge Chhabria earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, graduating Order of the Coif.

APABA-SV commends President Barack Obama for his nomination of Judge Vince Chhabria, and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein for their continued support of Judge Chhabria throughout his nomination and confirmation process.