Watch: Jaya Badiga's Opening Speech in Telugu Wins Hearts

In a heartwarming moment, Jaya Badiga, a Telugu-born NRI, created history by becoming the first Telugu woman appointed as a judge in the United States. During her swearing-in ceremony, Badiga stole the hearts of the Telugu community when she began her speech in her mother tongue.

At her appointment to the Sacramento County Superior Court, Judge Jaya Badiga offers a Telugu o welcome (Swagatam) and ends her speech with the Sanskrit prayer Asathoma

Jaya Badiga becomes first judge in California from Telugu States

She is an alumni of Osmania University… pic.twitter.com/VBt0T52afm

— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) May 24, 2024

Before her appointment, Badiga was a sole practitioner from 2018 to 2022 and had started her family law firm. She also served as an attorney at the California Department of Health Care Services and at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. 

Since 2022, Badiga has been serving as a court commissioner, handling domestic violence and child support cases in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Her gesture to commence her swearing-in speech in Telugu has resonated with the Telugu community, both in the United States and around the world, as a symbol of pride and representation.