For the first time in US history, a Muslim American has been nominated for the position of a federal judge. US President Joe Biden picked Pakistani-American, Zahid Quraishi, for the position of a federal judge on the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
If confirmed by the Senate, Quraishi would be the first-ever lifetime-appointed Muslim federal judge. The American-Pakistani Public Affairs Committee thanked Biden for the initiative.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Senator Corey Booker, and Senator Bob Menendez also praised the US President’s remarkable move. Meanwhile, Quraishi has received congratulations from several US leaders and organizations. The American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee hailed his nomination as “history in the making”.
Quraishi, who is of Pakistani descent, was appointed in 2019 to be a magistrate judge in the District of New Jersey by the judges he now seeks to join on the bench.
“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday about a list that also included 10 other nominees.
“Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people — and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.”
Who is Zahid Quraishi?
Quraishi got his law degree from Rutgers Law School, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor. He was a military prosecutor with the JAG Corps during his time in the Army. Moreover, he did deployments in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, according to his Rutgers bio page.
He later worked with the Department of Homeland Security. Then served as a federal prosecutor in the District of New Jersey. The Biden nominee has also received several honors for his work, according to his Rutgers bio. This includes the 2019 New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association Trailblazer of the Year award.
Just before his magistrate judge appointment, Quraishi worked in white-collar private practice at the law firm Riker Danzig, according to Rutgers. There, he was also the chief diversity officer.
Quraishi is among Biden’s first 11 judicial nominees that also include three black women. Biden campaigned on bringing diversity to the judicial bench. More so, the White House is highlighting the speed of bringing forth such nominations.
Breaking with predecessor Donald Trump’s four-year effort to staff federal courts with largely white male conservatives, Biden unveiled his first 11 picks for judges, with only two of them being men, and neither of them white. The 46th US President, Biden is definitely inching towards historic victory!
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