Latina Lesbian Named to DC Superior Court

The White House announced Tuesday that President Obama has nominated a lesbian to serve in the D.C. judiciary.

Marisa Demeo, the nominee, was named to serve as a judge on the D.C. Superior Court. The court handles all local trial matters, including civil, criminal and family cases. Demeo’s nomination is subject to U.S. Senate confirmation.

Obama made the announcement for Demeo the same day he made public his decision to nominate Florence Pan to another position as judge on the D.C. Superior Court.

“I am pleased to put forward two nominees who have served the people of the District of Columbia with such distinction,” Obama said. “Marisa Demeo and Florence Pan have dedicated their careers to serving the public good and they will be esteemed and eminent additions to the DC Superior Court.”

Demeo, a D.C. native, currently works as a magistrate judge in the criminal division of D.C. Superior Court, according to Tuesday’s statement from the White House. She previously was a paralegal in the civil rights division of the Justice Department, and prosecuted cases as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. attorney’s office for D.C.

Her work for LGBT and HIV/AIDS groups includes positions at the AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan and the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund.

She’s quoted on Human Rights Campaign’s web site on a page regarding religion and coming out issues for Latinas. Demeo says there that she considers herself a devout Catholic even though she’s a lesbian.

“You have to work out your relationship with religion,” she said. “I feel comfortable with my religious beliefs and I feel they are compatible with my life as a member of the GLBT community.”

(by Chris Johnson)