The Senate unanimously confirmed Raymond Chen to the U.S Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday.
Chen, the deputy general counsel for intellectual property law and solicitor for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 2008, is the second judge confirmed this year to the Federal Circuit. The court, which has national jurisdiction, has a docket that includes patent and trademark disputes, international trade matters and veterans’ claims.
Chen, who's been at the PTO since 2000, has represented the agency in numerous appeals and personally argued more than 20 cases before the Federal Circuit, according to a White House press release.
Chen also issued guidance to patent examiners, and advised the agency on legal and policy issues and regulations. He has co-chaired the Patent and Trademark Office Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and is a member of the Advisory Council for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
In March, Richard Taranto, a name partner at the D.C. firm Farr & Taranto, became the first new judge on the Federal Circuit in 17 months.
Another nominee, Todd Hughes, the DOJ's deputy director of the commercial litigation branch of the civil division since 2007, is awaiting a confirmation vote in the full Senate. Hughes would be the first openly gay federal appeals court judge.
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