US senate confirms first gay man to federal bench

J. Paul Oetken (photo by Michael Key)

The U.S. Senate made history yesterday by confirming an openly gay man as a federal judge.    J. Paul Oetken was confirmed by a vote of 80-13.  All the "no" votes were from Republicans.

Oetken is first openly gay man, but not the first LGBT person, to be confirmed to the federal bench; that honour goes to US District Judge Deborah Batts, who was appointed during the Clinton Administration.  U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who ruled last year against California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, revealed that he is gay after he retired.