Arun Subramanian is presiding over the high-profile case of disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. The Joe Biden-appointed Indian-origin judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York offered no relief to the rapper accused of sexual assault, trafficking, racketeering and more when requested to push back the federal trial’s commencement date. Upholding May 5 as the starting point, beginning with jury selection–to be followed by opening statements on may 12, Subramanian held his firm position.
Prior to coming onboard the Diddy trial, the Indian-American official’s nomination as a Southern District of New York judge was confirmed in a 58-37 March 2023 vote. Senate Majority Leader Senate Chuck Schumer described him as the “epitome of the American Dream and a history maker” at the time, as he became the first South Asian judge to serve on the bench. “We have confirmed Arun Subramanian as an SDNY (Southern District of New York) judge. He’s a son of Indian immigrants and the 1st South Asian-American judge confirmed to SDNY — which has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country. He’s dedicated his career to fighting for people,” Schumer said shortly after the confirmation.
59-37, Senate confirmed the nomination of Arun Subramanian, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Seventh District of New York. Rollcall Vote #45 https://t.co/SOmYJ3E2U1
— U.S. Senate Updates (@SenateFloor) March 7, 2023
Schumer further praised Arun Srinivas Subramanian’s resume telling a “clear story” about his excellence, accomplishment and dedication to fight for average Americans. “He served as a law clerk to Judge Dennis Jacobs on the Second Circuit, Judge Gerard Lynch in the Southern District of New York, and the late, great, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” he added.
The praising words went on to establish his stance as a consumer protection expert, who has for long defended victims of child trafficking in pornography. As per Schumer’s account, Chief Justice John Robert even appointed him to served on the court’s Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Who is Judge Arun Subramanian: Background
The Diddy judge, who is in his mid-40s, was born in Pittsburgh in 1979. He got his bachelor’s in Computer Science and English from Case Western Reserve University, according to an official White House statement. Thereafter, earned his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where he pitched in as the executive articles editor of the Columbia Law Review. Moreover, he was a James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar at Columbia.
As an Indian-American attorney, Arun Subramanian kicked off his career graph as a law clerk for Judge Dennis Jacobs on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His professional journey has also been tied to Judge Gerard E Lynch in the Southern District of New York and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Before embarking on his judicial journey, he served as a partner at the law firm Susman Godfrey LLC from 2007 to 2023. Here, his focus aligned with discourse tied to commercial and bankruptcy law.
According to the firm’s website, the Diddy judge recovered over a billion dollars for fraud, exploitation and other unfair practices’ victims. After his nomination in 2023, ANI reported that Subramanian even assisted the legal community by taking on pro bono cases outside the courtroom.
Beyond the courtroom: Arun Subramanian once paid for client’s dinner
Though now holding the key to the Diddy case now, he once paid for a celebratory dinner for a couple he represented in a now-settled lawsuit against Fox News. TMZ shared the word on May 11, revealing how the Indian-American attorney repped Mary and Joel Rich after the American network covered a story claiming that their son leaked thousands of Democratic party emails to Wikileaks in 2016.
Once the lawsuit against Fox News was settled, Arun was more than happy to join them for dinner at the condition that he paid for it. Although the Richs had no confirmation about what the bill came out, they said courses kept flowing at the upscale Italian joint in New York City. The couple made an argument for the present-day judge’s respectable, honourable and graceful personality, saying that he treated them like family.
Off-court visuals of Arun Subramanian give no indication that he is a federal judge. A TMZ video spotted him walking to work with headphones on, looking more like a college student than anything else. What may as well be TMI, the much-respected US judge reportedly loves karaoke and buys his own robes online.