Obama Nominates Todd Hughes for U.S. Appellate Court, Would Be First Out Gay Appeals Court Judge

President Obama today nominated Todd M. Hughes, Deputy Director of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice, for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. If confirmed, Hughes would make history.

Said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute: "If confirmed, Todd Hughes would become the first openly gay federal appeals court judge in U.S. history.  His nomination is a testament to the expanding opportunities for openly LGBT Americans who want to serve their country, and to the president's respect for the depth of talent and experience within the LGBT community.  We look forward to his confirmation by the U.S. Senate."

Here is Hughes' bio from the White House brief:

Todd M. Hughes is Deputy Director of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice, a position he has held since 2007.  He also has served as an adjunct lecturer in law with the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and as an instructor for Duke University's writing program.

Hughes received his A.B. from Harvard College in 1989 and completed a joint degree program with Duke University, earning both his J.D. with honors and his M.A. in English in 1992.  After graduating from law school, Hughes clerked for the Honorable Robert B. Krupansky of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  In 1994, he joined the Commercial Litigation Branch as a trial attorney.  Five years later, he was appointed to be Assistant Director for Commercial Litigation, a role he held until assuming the title of Deputy Director in 2007.  Throughout his career with the Department of Justice, Hughes's practice has been devoted to matters of federal personnel law, veterans' benefits, international trade, government contracts, and jurisdictional issues regarding the United States Court of Federal Claims.  He has extensive experience before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Federal Claims, and he has garnered a number of special commendations from the Department of Justice and a special contribution award from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Edward DuMont, another gay man nominated by Obama to the federal appellate court, withdrew his nomination in November 2011, after his nomination was stalled for nearly two years.