Draft:Meredith Vacca

Meredith Anne Vacca (born 1980) is an American lawyer who has served as a judge on the Monroe County Court since 2021 and an acting justice on the New York Supreme Court since 2023. She is a nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.

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.

Career
From 2005 to 2007, she was as an associate at Hamberger & Weiss LLP in Buffalo. From 2007 to 2020, she served as an assistant district attorney in the Monroe County District Attorney's Office 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. She was elected in 2021 to serve as a judge on the Monroe County Court. She has been an acting justice on the New York Supreme Court since 2023.

Nomination to district court
Senator Chuck Schumer recommended Vacca to the Biden administration. 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. On June 5, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 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. On July 11, 2024, her nomination was favorably reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 12–9 vote. Her nomination is pending before the United States Senate. If confirmed, she would become the first Asian American on the court.

Personal life
Her father is Paul Vacca, a well-known criminal defense lawyer in Rochester.