3 Malayalis shine in US Elections; Win key judicial posts

Washington: Three Malayalis have secured notable victories in elections to local government and judicial positions in the United States. Martin John, a native of Kanjirappally, Surendran K Patel from Kasaragod and Julie A. Mathew from Thiruvalla are the winners.

Martin John has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District. Surendran K Patel, who contested as a Democratic Party candidate, has been re-elected as judge of the 240th Judicial District Court, while Julie A Mathew has retained her position as judge of the County Court at Law.

Martin John, a native of Kalaketty in Kanjirappally, won with 1.22 lakh votes (57.68%), securing a good majority of 32,515 votes. A former chairman of the Pala St Thomas College Union, he moved to the US with his family in 2000 after completing his postgraduate studies at Mahatma Gandhi University.

Surendran K Patel, a native of Kasaragod, secured 1.59 lakh votes (59.89%), defeating Republican candidate Asha Reddy. After obtaining a law degree from the University of Calicut, Patel practised as a lawyer at the Hosdurg Court and the Supreme Court before migrating to the US in 2007.

Julie A Mathew, a native of Vennikulam in Thiruvalla, retained her position as judge of the County Court at Law with 1.68 lakh votes (60.10%). She defeated Republican candidate Jessica Jaramillo. Mathew, who arrived in the US with her parents in 1986, made history in 2018 by becoming the first Asian-American judge elected to the bench in Fort Bend County. She was also the first woman of Indian origin to be elected to a judicial position in the United States.