De Amerikaanse Senaat heeft maandag met 80-voor en 13-tegen ingestemd met de benoeming van J. Paul Oetken tot federale rechter bij het Southern District of New York. Oetken is de eerste openlijk homoseksuele man die in de Verenigde Staten tot federale rechter is benoemd.
Oetken werd voorgedragen door de Democratische senator Chuck Schumer. Zijn commentaar: “As the first openly gay man to be confirmed as a federal judge and to serve on the federal bench, he will be a symbol of how much we have achieved as a country in just the last few decades. And importantly, he will give hope to many talented young lawyers who, until now, thought their paths might be limited because of their sexual orientation. When Paul becomes Judge Oetken, he will be living proof to all those young lawyers that it really does get better.”
Oetken is weliswaar de eerste homoseksuele man, de lesbische Deborah Batts ging hem voor. Zij werd, eveneens in New York, benoemd tot federale rechter tijdens het presidentschap van Clinton.