Monroe County Court Judge Meredith Vacca on Wednesday became the first woman of color and the first Asian-American to become a federal judge in western New York.

The Senate Wednesday confirmed Vacca, a 43-year-old Democrat, by a vote of 50 to 41 with some Republican support.

Afterward, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, who advocated for Vacca, said in a statement, “The Senate confirmation of Judge Meredith Vacca – a proud Rochester native, Korean-American and Buffalo Law grad – is a historic moment for Western New York and Rochester.”

Vacca will be the first woman of color in the 17-county western federal court district, which stretches to the Pennsylvania line and has Rochester and Buffalo as its hubs.