National Federation of Filipino American Associations

Charito Benipayo, David Rodriguez, and Marily Mondejar responded to the e-mail about Efren Iglesia’s appointment from the San Francisco Bay Area-based Philippine American Press Club, USA yahoo group. They reminded us about the Filipina women judges in the United States.

Please click on the COMMENTS section of this posting if you want to add to this list that we are collecting in the Filipino American community: Filipino and Filipina “electeds and appointeds.”

The Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) tracks the Filipina American women who are trailblazing their way to the top of their professions. We are enclosing an e-mail from Marily Mondejar, the president of this organization, about FWN’s listing of Filipina American judges.

From: Marily Mondejar <marilym@ffwn.org>
Date: Aug 28, 2007 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: [PAPC-SF] Small correction for: MEDIA ADVISORY: Fil-Am Efren N. Iglesia to be sworn in as Judge in Monterey County Superior Court, California
To: PAPC-SF@yahoogroups.com

There are several women judges who are “firsts” in their own counties. Many of them are attending the Filipina Summit in Washington DC (Oct 25-27).

(1) Judge Cheryl Moss - Family Court, Nevada;   (2) Judge Pat Medina Talbert - Superior Court, New Jersey;   (3) Judge Nina F. Elgo - Superior Court, Connecticut; (4) Judge Lillian Lim - Superior Court, San Diego;   (5) Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye - Madam Justice, California 3rd District Court of Appeal (first woman of Asian descent in the Federal Court of Appeals; I understand she is the highest ranking Filipino in the justice system);  (6) Judge Eleanor Nisperos - Administrative Law Judge (workers comp). She is now retired. First Filipina admitted to the California Bar (1971). First Filipina Deputy Attorney General in California.