July 17, 2008
Matsumoto, Recommended to the President by Schumer Earlier This Year, Unanimously Approved by the Senate

Only 32% of District Judges in the Eastern District are Women – Matsumoto only Second Asian Woman Ever
Confirmed to Federal Bench; Parents Were Interred During WWII

Schumer: With This Confirmation, and Another Female Judge for the Southern District Set to Confirmed This Month,
We Are Making Important Strides to Close the Gender Gap on the Federal Bench

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the full United States Senate has unanimously confirmed
Kiyo Matsumoto to be the next federal judge in the Eastern District of New York. Schumer, who recommended
Matsumoto -- as well as Cathy Seibel to the sit in the Southern District, who is set to be confirmed later this month --
said that these two accomplished women will go a long way toward closing the gender disparity that currently exists
on the federal bench. Matsumoto currently serves as a federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District, and will be only
the second woman of Asian decent ever confirmed to the federal bench.

“Today is an historic day for the Eastern District and for the entire federal court system,” Schumer said. “Judge
Matsumoto is an extraordinary jurist and I wholeheartedly congratulate her on her confirmation. I recommended
Judge Matsumoto because of her integrity and qualifications, character and dedication. In addition, Judge
Matsumoto’s confirmation brings us one step closer to reversing the gender disparity that exists on the federal bench.
Our federal bench must reflect the same broad diversity of experience as America writ large.”

Ms. Matsumoto currently serves as a Federal Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York, where she has
managed a docket of over 300 cases for three years. Prior to her appointment as Federal Magistrate Judge, Ms.
Matsumoto served the in U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for over 20 years, as Chief and First
Deputy Chief of the Civil Division. Judge Matsumoto’s father and mother spent time in an internment camp during
World War II.

"Judge Matsumoto's life and career shows the greatness of those who believe in America and push our nation to its
best potential: the woman whose family was subject to the worst injustice under law, now -- as a result of her own
talent --has a seat of legal power and influence to judge others with rigor, intellectual excellence and fairness," said
Schumer.

In March, Schumer recommended Matsumoto and Cathy Seibel, the current First Assistant United States Attorney for
the Southern District of New York, to the President to fill vacant spots in the Eastern and Southern District respectively
Schumer said that right now there are far more men serving on the federal courts in New York, particularly in the
Eastern District where only 32 percent of judges are women. Schumer today said that Matsumoto’s confirmation and
Ms. Seibel’s expected confirmation later this month will help reverse that unnecessary disparity.

In addition, Magistrate Judge Matsumoto has now become only the second Asian American woman to serve as a
federal district court judge and the third Asian American federal district court judge outside of California and Hawaii .
She is the eighth Asian American federal Senate-confirmed judge currently active out of approximately 850
nationwide.

The Senate today also confirmed Paul Gardaphe to be a judge on the Southern District of New York.
SENATE CONFIRMS KIYO MATSUMOTO AS NEXT FEDERAL JUDGE IN THE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NY – HELPS INCREASE NUMBER OF FEMALE JUDGES ON
THE FEDERAL BENCH