Obama taps Puerto Rican as US judge

Nelson Stephen Román is a former New York City police officer, federal prosecutor and currently serves a s ajudge in the New York State Supreme Court system.

He and Ketanji Brown Jackson were nominated by Obama this week to serve as U.S. District Court judges.

“I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench,” Obama said. “I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.”

Román was tapped to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He has been an associate justice of the First Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court since 2009.

Previously, he served as a justice of the New York Supreme Court in Bronx County, where he handled civil matters from 2003 to 2009. For four years, Román was a judge on the New York City Civil Court, handling civil matter from 2001 to 2002 and housing cases from 1998 to 2000.

He clerked for José A. Padilla Jr. of the New York City Civil Court from 1995 to 1998. From 1989 to 1995, Román served as an assistant district attorney in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. Prior to receiving his J.D. in 1989 from Brooklyn Law School, Román worked as a police officer in New York City for seven years. He received his B.A. from Fordham University in 1984.

Brown Jackson currently serves as vice chair and commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission. She was appointed to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.