Meredith Vacca

Meredith Vacca
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office July 31, 2024
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Frank P. Geraci Jr.
Judge of the Monroe County Court
In office 2021 – July 31, 2024
Personal details
Born	Meredith Anne Vacca 1980 (age 43–44) Busan, South Korea
Political party	Democratic[1]
Parent	Paul Vacca (father)
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.

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]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Meredith Vacca	217,532	61.32%
	Republican	Derek Harnsberger	137,191	38.68%
Total votes			354,723	100.0%
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also

• List of Asian American jurists

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. "President Biden Names Forty-Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024. 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. 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.

External links

• Meredith Vacca at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Meredith Vacca at Ballotpedia

Legal offices
Preceded by Frank P. Geraci Jr.	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York 2024–present	Incumbent