Last August, President Barack Obama nominated Magistrate Judge Edward Chen to the federal court. Nominated by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, Judge Chen received extremely positive support from a diverse group of individuals and organizations, including "Unanimously Well Qualified" rating by the American Bar Association. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Judge Chen's nomination in October 2009.

Without explanation, Judge Chen's nomination was returned to the White House in late December. As was anticipated, President Obama renominated Judge Chen for the federal court on January 20. Now, your help is needed to communicate to the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, that Judge Chen's nomination deserves to be presented to the full Senate for a vote. You can sign the following letter in support of Judge Chen:

To the Honorable Harry Reid, United States Senator and Majority Leader:

I'm writing to support Judge Edward Chen's nomination as a federal district court judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and request that his nomination be considered for a fair up-or-down vote by the full Senate.

For more than eight years, Judge Chen has demonstrated that he has made the transition from zealous advocate to balanced, fair, and evenhanded jurist. As a U.S. magistrate judge, he has over 300 published opinions on a range of subjects, having only been overturned twice by the Court of Appeals. Judge Chen was also rated "Unanimously Well Qualified" by the American Bar Association -- a thorough process that examined his record as a judge and attorney.

Judge Chen has mainstream values and attacks against his character are unfair, especially given his excellent record as a judge.

The Senate should move Judge Chen's nomination without any further delay. He is entitled to a full floor vote by the Senate.

Thank you for your consideration,

Judge Chen's nomination deserves a straight up-or-down vote in the Senate. You can help make that happen by signing the short online form, and your letter will be sent to Majority Leader Reid. For more information, visit FairJudges.net, a website of the Asian Pacific Bar of California.