Meredith Vacca

Last updated
Meredith Vacca
Judge Meredith A. Vacca.png
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 31, 2024
Education Colgate University (BA)
University at Buffalo (JD)

Meredith Anne Vacca (born 1980) [2] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York since 2024. She previously served as a judge on the Monroe County Court from 2021 to 2024 and an acting justice on the New York Supreme Court from 2023 to 2024.

Contents

Education

Vacca received a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University in 2002 and a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2005. [3]

Career

From 2005 to 2007, she was as an associate at Hamberger & Weiss LLP in Buffalo. From 2007 to 2020, she worked as an assistant district attorney in the District Attorney's Office for Monroe County in Rochester, New York. In 2020, she was elected as judge of the Monroe County Court, becoming the only Asian American judge on the bench in the seventh judicial district. [4] She was elected in 2021 to serve as a judge on the Monroe County Court. [5] She was an acting justice on the New York Supreme Court from 2023 to 2024. [3]

Federal judicial service

Senator Chuck Schumer recommended Vacca to the Biden administration. [6] On May 8, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Vacca to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. On May 14, 2024, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Vacca to the seat vacated by Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., who assumed senior status on April 1, 2023. [7] On June 5, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. [8] During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by Senator John Kennedy about a 2020 radio interview in which she said that the U.S. criminal justice system is institutionally racist. [9] On July 11, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–9 vote. [10] [11] On July 31, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–43 vote. [12] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–41 vote. [13] She received her judicial commission on the same day. [14] She was sworn in on August 5, 2024. [15] She became the first Asian American on the court. [6]

Personal life

Vacca was born in Busan, South Korea. She was adopted at 6 months old and raised in Greece, New York. [6] Her father is Paul Vacca, a prominent criminal defense attorney in Rochester, New York. [6]

Electoral history

2020 Monroe County Court Judge election [16]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Meredith Vacca 217,532 61.32%
Republican Derek Harnsberger137,19138.68%
Total votes354,723 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth A. Wolford</span> American judge (born 1966)

Elizabeth Ann Wolford is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. She is the first female judge to serve in the Western District. She is the first female to be chief judge of the Western District of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Griggsby</span> American judge (born 1968)

Lydia Kay Griggsby is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. She is a former Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims and Chief Counsel for Private and Information Policy for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Y. Pan</span> American judge (born 1966)

Florence Yu Pan is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2021 to 2022 and a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 2009 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claria Horn Boom</span> American judge (born 1969)

Claria Denise Horn Boom is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. She is a member of the United States Sentencing Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Strickland (judge)</span> American judge (born 1980)

Margaret Irene Strickland is an American attorney serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eunice C. Lee</span> American judge (born 1970)

Eunice Cheryl Lee is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Born in West Germany, she attended Ohio State University and Yale Law School. In 2021, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Second Circuit after being nominated by President Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah A. L. Merriam</span> American judge (born 1971)

Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam is an American attorney serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is a former United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and former district judge of the same court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrna Pérez</span> American judge (born 1974)

Myrna Pérez is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She was previously the director of voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarala Nagala</span> American judge (born 1983)

Sarala Vidya Nagala is an American lawyer from Connecticut who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly A. Thomas</span> American judge (born 1979)

Holly Aiyisha Thomas is an American attorney serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2018 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loren AliKhan</span> American judge (born 1983)

Loren Linn AliKhan is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia since 2023. She previously served as an associate judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals from 2022 to 2023 as well as the solicitor general of the District of Columbia from 2018 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jinsook Ohta</span> American judge (born 1976)

Jinsook Ohta is an American attorney and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. She previously served as a judge on the San Diego County Superior Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer L. Rochon</span> American judge (born 1970)

Jennifer Louise Rochon is an American lawyer who is serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. From 2013 to 2022, she was General Counsel of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Sykes</span> American judge (born 1974)

Sunshine Suzanne Sykes is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She previously served as a judge of the California Superior Court for Riverside County from 2013 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nusrat Jahan Choudhury</span> American judge (born 1976)

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

President Joe Biden began his presidency with fewer vacancies to fill than his predecessor. He pledged to nominate people with diverse backgrounds and professional experience; further he pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy L. Maldonado</span> American judge (born 1975)

Nancy Lee Maldonado is an American lawyer from Chicago who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2024. She previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2022 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne M. Nardacci</span> American judge (born 1977)

Anne Marie Nardacci is an American lawyer from New York who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kai Scott</span> American judge (born 1970)

Kai Niambi Scott is an American attorney who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She previously served as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas from 2015 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dena M. Coggins</span> American judge (born 1979)

Dena Michaela Coggins is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2021. She is the designate to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

References

  1. ↑ Craig, Gary (October 22, 2020). "Meet the two candidates running for Monroe County judge". Democrat and Chronicle .
  2. ↑ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "President Biden Names Forty-Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. ↑ Gandy, George (May 8, 2024). "Monroe County Judge recommended to serve in WNY Federal Court". RochesterFirst. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Hon. Meredith A. Vacca". ww2.nycourts.gov/. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Craig, Gary (May 8, 2024). "Monroe County Judge Meredith Vacca poised to become first woman of color as federal judge in WNY". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. June 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Monroe County judge nominated for federal bench, faces questions on past comments about racism in criminal justice system". whec.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Eight Judicial Nominations To The Full Senate" (Press release). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Monroe County Court Judge Meredith Vacca advances in nomination process for federal seat". WHAM. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  12. ↑ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Meredith A. Vacca to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York)". United States Senate. July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  13. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Meredith A. Vacca, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York)". United States Senate. July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  14. ↑ Meredith Vacca at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
  15. ↑ "Hon. Meredith A. Vacca sworn in as a U.S. District Judge at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York". nywd.uscourts.gov (Press release). August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  16. ↑ "2020 General Election Certification" (PDF). Official Website of Monroe County, NY .
Legal offices
Preceded byJudge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
2024–present		Incumbent


Scale of justice 2.svg

This biography of a federal judge in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.