Who the F Is … Nitza Quiñones Alejandro?

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Here's the latest installment in SheWired's new series about queer women, current and historical, who have done great things for LGBT people. This week we spotlight the first out lesbian Latina to serve as a federal judge.

Who she is: the first out lesbian Latina to serve as a federal judge

What she’s accomplished: The U.S. Senate confirmed Quiñones in June to a judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but she had a long career in the law before that. She spent 22 years as a judge on the Philadelphia Court of Common pleas, beginning in 1991, after a 12-year tenure as a staff attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She was an attorney adviser for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1977 to 1979, after beginning her legal career as a staff attorney for Community Legal Services Inc. in Philadelphia, where she worked from 1975 to 1977. A native of Puerto Rico, she earned her law degree at the University of Puerto Rico.

Choice quote: “The most important attribute for a judge to possess is integrity.” — Quiñones responding to a question from Sen. Chuck Grassley during her confirmation proceedings.