A ceremony was held at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester on Friday to mark the recent appointment of Judge Meredith Vacca to the federal bench in Western New York.
Vacca is 44 years old, and already has a long career in the law including working for a number of years in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, also as a Monroe County Judge, and more recently as an Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice.
She was nominated to the federal bench by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who noted that Vacca, a Korean-American, is the first Asian American and woman of color to serve as a judge in the Western District.
Among those who can relate to that distinction, is State Appellate Justice Lillian Wan who spoke at Friday’s ceremony. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, and told the gathering that she has spoken in the past with Vacca about going for top positions in the legal field.
“Submit the application, apply for that position, own the interview, and if you don't succeed the first time, keep coming back and do it again,” said Wan. “Stop giving reasons for why it shouldn't be you, and start thinking, why not you?”
In her remarks, Vacca said her young daughter is used to seeing her mom as a judge, so it doesn’t feel all that unusual to her.
“And I remember when she was three years old, one day she looked at me with this kind of curious, serious look and said, ‘Mommy, can boys be judges too?’ And I said, yes, Genevieve, they can,” Vacca said in remarks at the ceremony that drew some laughs from the crowd.
Vacca, who along with her twin sister were adopted at six months old by a Rochester family and was raised in the town of Greece, realizes that her personal story will resonate with a lot of people, including those who may want to join the legal profession one day.
“I am humbled by this place I step into within the history of the Western District of New York, and I hope through this great gift I have been given, to inspire other people from all walks of life, from all different backgrounds, to be future lawyers and judges,” Vacca said.
Vacca was confirmed to her new post on the federal bench in August.
