US President Donald Trump nominates Indian-American Shireen Matthews to federal judgeship
Washington, Sep 1: President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Shireen Mathews as a judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of California.
If confirmed, Matthews will be the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Indian-American to serve as an Article III federal judge in the Southern District, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) said.
Article III judges "hold their office during good behavior", which means they have a lifetime appointment, except under very limited circumstances. Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate.
Currently, Matthews is a partner at Jones Day, the fifth-largest law firm in the country, in San Diego.
Prior to joining the firm, Matthews served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Before entering government service, Matthews was an associate with Latham and Watkins LLP in San Diego, the White House said in a statement.
NAPABA has applauded Trump's intent to nominate Matthews.
"Shireen Matthews is [an] experienced attorney, both in the public and private sectors. She will be a well-qualified addition to the bench in the Southern District of California," NAPABA President Daniel Sakaguchi said in the release.
Sakaguchi said that the potential nominee is dedicated to "serving her community and promoting diversity in the legal profession" and has served as a former president of the San Diego's chapter of the South Asian Bar Association.
Matthews earned her BA, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and her law degree, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law.
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Six faculty members of dental college suspended following student's suicide
Bengaluru (PTI): Six faculty members of a dental college here have been suspended by the management pending further inquiry into the death of a 23-year-old student by suicide.
In an official communication dated January 12, Bengaluru-based institution, The Oxford Dental College, said that the inquiry in the matter would continue and that the suspension would remain in force till further notification.
The suspended faculty members include senior lecturers Anmol Razdan, Shabana Banu, Faika Kolkar and Alba Dinesh, Reader Sindhu R, and Professor Sushmini Hegde, all from the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, the communication said.
The action comes after a third-year dental student of the college, Yashaswini, was found hanging at her residence here on Friday.
Family members have accused the college management of harassing her, alleging that she was subjected to humiliation, which drove her to take the extreme step.
She was the only child of her parents, Parimala and Bhudevaiah, police added. According to her mother, Yashaswini had taken leave on Wednesday, citing eye pain.
When she returned to college the following day, she was allegedly humiliated in front of other students for not participating in a seminar, her mother alleged.
Following Yashaswini's death, aggrieved students staged a sit-in protest outside the morgue, demanding action against those responsible.
Police said a case has been registered in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway.
