Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the US.
Ms. Singh was born and raised in Houston and now lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children.
Indian-American Judge Ravi Sandil, the state's first South Asian judge, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom. Singh's father had migrated to the US in the early 1970s.
A trial attorney for over 20 years, she has been involved in several civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.
There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, of whom 20,000 live in the Houston area. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: "It was a proud day for the Sikh community, but also a proud day for all people of color, who see the diversity of the city of Houston in Court's diversity."
