Arun Subramanian, First Indian-American To Become New York District Court Judge

New Delhi: The United States Senate on Tuesday confirmed Indian-American Arun Subramanian to be the District Judge for the Southern District of New York, making him the first South Asian judge to serve on this bench. The United States confirmed the nomination of Attorney Subramanian by a vote of 58-37 Tuesday evening.

“We have confirmed Arun Subramanian as an SDNY (Southern District of New York) judge. He’s a son of Indian immigrants and the 1st South Asian-American judge confirmed to SDNY which has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country. He’s dedicated his career to fighting for people,” Senate Majority Leader Senate Chuck Schumer said immediately after the confirmation vote, news agencies reported.

Before the floor vote, Schumer said Subramanian is the “epitome of the American Dream and a history maker”: the child of hard-working immigrants from India, he will become the first South Asian to preside in the Southern District, which has one of the largest South Asian populations in the country.

“Mr. Subramanian’s resume tells a very clear story: he is excellent, he is accomplished, he’s dedicated his entire career fighting for average Americans. He served as a law clerk to Judge Dennis Jacobs on the Second Circuit, Judge Gerard Lynch in the Southern District of New York, and the late, great, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” he said.

Who is Judge Arun Subramanian?

• Subramanian was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979. His parents immigrated to America from India in the early 1970s.
• His father served as a control systems engineer at several companies; his mother worked several jobs, including as a bookkeeper
• Subramanian received his Juris Doctor (J.D) from Columbia Law School in 2004 and his BA from Case Western Reserve University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and English.
• Three years later, he earned his law degree from Columbia Law School as a James Kent & Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He also served as executive articles editor for the Columbia Law Review.
• Currently a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York, where he has worked since 2007, Subramanian served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court of the United States from 2006 to 2007.
• A steadfast consumer protection expert, he also defended victims of trafficking in child pornography, Schumer said.
• Among his victories include securing more than USD400 million for state and federal governments through a lawsuit connected to Novartis Pharmaceuticals; gaining USD590 million in settlements from LIBOR in an ongoing price-fixing class action; and achieving a USD100 million judgment in a federal residential mortgage-backed securities case against Flagstar Bank after the crisis of 2008.
• Notably, Arun also contributes to the legal community by taking on pro bono cases outside of the courtroom and has served for years on the pro bono panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the second circuit.