US Senate Approves Zahid Quraishi To Become The First Muslim Federal Judge In History

Zahid N. Quraishi (Source: centerforsecuritypolicy.org)

JAKARTA - The United States Senate (US) approved President Joe Biden's nomination of Zahid Nisar Quraishi, a New Jersey judge as a federal judge, making him the first Muslim to hold the position in US history, Thursday, June 10 local time.

The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 81-16 to confirm Quraishi, 46, who is the son of New York-born Pakistani immigrants who previously served as a US federal and military prosecutor.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, as the third largest religion in the United States, no Muslim has ever held a federal office in Uncle Sam's country.

"We have to expand not only demographic diversity but professional diversity. I know President Biden agrees with me on this and this is going to be something I'm going to do," Schumer said. Quraishi could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prior to being appointed a judge in 2019, which does not require Senate confirmation, Quraishi was a partner with New Jersey law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti.

Zahid N. Quraish. (Source: wiki.projecttopics.org)

In addition, Zahid previously worked as an assistant US attorney, assistant chief adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, and prosecutor in the US Army Corps of Judge Advocates. Quraishi is known to have served twice with the US Army in Iraq in 2004 and 2006 with the last being the rank of Captain.

In addition to Quraishi, the US Senate also voted 52-46 to appoint US District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson from the District of Columbia to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Jackson, whose record has been criticized by some Republicans, is widely considered a contender for every US Supreme Court vacancy that arose during President Joe Biden's administration.

Quraishi and Jackson were nominated in March along with nine other candidates that included several women and black and Asian-American nominees. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the first two judges Biden appointed to the bench in New Jersey and Colorado.