First Indian American appointed as U.S. Magistrate Judge in New York

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Sanket J. Bulsara has been appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, becoming the first Indian American to serve as a judge within the Second Circuit.

Bulsara was born in the Bronx but has been a resident and an active community member of Queens, where his parents first lived upon immigrating to the United States from India.

He began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for the Honorable John G. Koeltl of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Bulsara then worked as an associate at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP in Los Angeles, California before returning to New York in 2004, where he worked as a Manager of Planning and Data Analysis for the New York City Department of Education.

He joined the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP as an associate in 2005 and was promoted to partnership in 2012.

At WilmerHale, he developed a trial-centered practice, while also developing the firm’s pro bono practice.

His trial experience included a secondment from 2007 to 2008, when he worked as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, for which he received an Outstanding Service Award.

Prior to his appointment, he worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as the Acting General Counsel and the Deputy General Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Adjudication and Enforcement.

Bulsara was congratulated by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the South Asian American Bar Association of New York (SABANY).

“AABANY congratulates Judge Bulsara on his appointment and commends the Eastern District of New York for not only appointing a highly qualified candidate to this important position but also recognizing a continuing commitment to a bench reflecting the diversity of the general population,” said AABANY President Dwight Yoo.

“Judge Bulsara follows in the path blazed by Judge Go, Judge Kuo, Judge Matsumoto and Judge Chen in the EDNY and blazes his own trail by being the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit. We are proud to count Judge Bulsara among the most distinguished of our members and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role at the EDNY,” he added.

“SABANY is proud to congratulate Judge Bulsara as he enters the judiciary. Judge Bulsara exemplifies what it means to be a public servant, and as the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit, his appointment resonates with a growing South Asian population in New York and across the nation,” said SABANY President Mahesh Parlikad.

He is a role model for SABANY members and beyond. We are excited by the significance of an increasingly diverse EDNY bench at this time, particularly when other federal judicial nominations are lacking in diversity, and we are eager to continue to work with Judge Bulsara to serve our communities,” he added.