J. Paul Oetken

James Paul Oetken (/ˈɛtkɪn/ EHT-kin; born October 1, 1965), known professionally as J. Paul Oetken, is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He is the first openly gay man to be confirmed as an Article III judge.

Paul Oetken
Oetken in 2015
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Assumed office
July 20, 2011
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byDenny Chin
Personal details
Born
James Paul Oetken

(1965-10-01) October 1, 1965
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Iowa (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Early life and education

Oetken was born on October 1, 1965,[1] in Louisville, Kentucky.[2] He was valedictorian and class president at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1988, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1991.[3] Oetken served as a law clerk for Judge Richard Cudahy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1991 to 1992. Then, he clerked for Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 1992 to 1993. Lastly, he clerked for Associate Justice Harry Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court from 1993 to 1994.[3][4][5]

Career

During the mid-1990s, Oetken worked as an associate with the law firm of Jenner & Block. In 1997, he joined the Office of Legal Counsel in the United States Department of Justice as an attorney-advisor, where he worked until becoming an associate counsel to the president of the United States in the office of the White House Counsel in 1999.[3] He held that job until President Bill Clinton left office in 2001. From 2001 until 2003, Oetken worked as an associate at the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, including as counsel in 2003 and 2004.[6] In 2004, Oetken joined Cablevision Systems Corporation as its associate general counsel, until 2011 when he left to join the federal bench.[3][5]

Federal judicial service

On January 26, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Oetken to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to replace Judge Denny Chin, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[7] New York Senator Charles Schumer recommended Oetken to the post.[8] Schumer recommended Oetken a year after he recommended former Assistant United States Attorney Daniel S. Alter, also openly gay,[9] whom the White House declined to nominate after concluding, because of statements that had been attributed to Alter, that his nomination was unlikely to survive the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.[10] Schumer stated that diversity was a consideration in his recommendations for federal judgeships, and that he was "shocked to learn" that no openly gay men had served on the federal bench.[9] The Senate confirmed Oetken on July 18, 2011, by an 80–13 vote.[11] He received his commission on July 20, 2011.[5] At the time of his confirmation, Oetken was the second openly gay Article III judge in the country, after Deborah Batts,[12] and the first openly gay male federal judge.[13]

Personal life

Oetken lives with his husband Makky Pratayot in Manhattan.[14] They were married on September 6, 2014, at the Jane by Judge Alison J. Nathan.[15]

Oetken officiated the wedding of lawyer and legal commentator David Lat.[16]

See also

References
  1. The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Incorporated. May 27, 1996. ISBN 9781561601783 – via Google Books.
  2. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (January 24, 2011). "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: J. Paul Oetken" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. Geidner, Chris (January 26, 2011). "Obama Nominates Oetken for N.Y. Federal Court Spot". Metro Weekly. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  4. Murdoch, Joyce; Price, Deb (2001). Courting Justice: Gay Men And Lesbians V. The Supreme Court. Basic Books. pp. 416–418. ISBN 978-0-465-01514-6.
  5. J. Paul Oetken at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  6. The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (January 26, 2011). "President Obama Names Six to United States District Court". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved March 17, 2011 – via National Archives.
  7. The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (January 26, 2011). "Presidential nominations sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov (Press release). Retrieved March 17, 2011 – via National Archives.
  8. Ferrara, Lucas A. (September 27, 2010). "Schumer wants J. Paul Oetken to serve". NY Real Estate Law Blog. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  9. Weiser, Benjamin (January 27, 2011). "Obama Nominee for Judge Could Be First Openly Gay Man on the Federal Bench". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  10. Johnson, Chris (October 20, 2010). "White House rejects gay judicial nominee". Washington Blade. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  11. "On the Nomination (Confirmation J. Paul Oetken, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York)". www.senate.gov.
  12. Johnson, Chris (March 13, 2011). "Senate hearing set for gay judicial nominee". Washington Blade. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  13. Lalwani, Nikita (July 19, 2011). "Oetken LAW '91 confirmed as federal judge". Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  14. "Judge Oetken: Gay lawyer dons his robe, taking his place on the federal bench in Manhattan – and in history". Metro Weekly. November 3, 2011.
  15. "Makky Pratayot, J. Paul Oetken". The New York Times. September 7, 2014.
  16. "Interviews with Max Raskin". Max Raskin. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
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