NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - By a vote of 80 to 13, the Senate on Monday confirmed the nomination of J. Paul Oetken to a seat on the Southern District of New York, the Manhattan federal trial court where vacancies are at the highest point since the early 1990s.

Oetken, an associate general counsel for Cablevision Systems Corp, was nominated to the vacancy in January and confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a voice vote in April.

In addition to his work for Cablevision, where he headed litigation, he previously held positions at the Justice Department and White House Counsel's Office during the Clinton Presidency, and worked at law firms Debevoise & Plimpton and Jenner & Block.

At Cablevision, where he has worked since 2004, Oetken has handled copyright cases, contract disputes, corporate compliance, government investigations and bankruptcy litigation, according to Oetken's questionnaire with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Oetken is the first openly gay man to be confirmed by the Senate to be a federal judge.

Oetken's confirmation "adds us one step closer to equality," said Senator Charles Schumer, the New York Democrat who first suggested Oetken's name to President Obama for nomination.

With Oetken's confirmation, there are now seven judicial vacancies on the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan and suburban White Plains, New York.

(Reporting by Carlyn Kolker)