Samia Naseem Appointed Judge of Chicago Immigration Court
By Tahir Ali
Washington DC: Attorney General William Barr has appointed Samia Naseem as Immigration Judge for Chicago Immigration Court. She joined on November 25, 2019 and was formally honored and robed in an Investiture Ceremony on December 20, 2019 in the US Department of Justice main building in Washington DC.
Judge Naseem earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in 2001 from Simmons College, and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the George Washington University Law School. As part of her Juris Doctor program, she studied International Human Rights Law and Refugee Law at Oxford University in UK in 2002.
Judge Naseem has had an illustrious career. From 2010-2019, Judge Naseem served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in New York City and Chicago. From 2007-2010, Judge Naseem served as a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, DC.During 2005-2007, she served as an attorney at the Law Offices of Khalid Naseem in Boylston, Massachusetts. Earlier, during 2004-2005, Judge Naseem served as a law clerk for the Honorable Judith N. Macaluso in Washington, DC. Judge Naseem is a member of the State Bar of New York.
Judge Naseem is the daughter of Khalid and Homaira Naseem who moved to the United States as graduate students in 1978. They have lived in Boylston, Massachusetts since 1991. Khalid Naseem practices law and Homaira Naseem, who is a Plastics Engineer, has a passion for public service. She is also an elected member of the Planning Board of the town of Boylston and, in 2016 was elected as a National Delegate for Bernie Sanders.
The appointment of Samia Naseem is a proud moment for Muslims in America. We in Massachusetts take further cognizance of this fact and feel rightly proud for Saima's great achievement, especially as she is one of our own. Samia Naseem is the pride of the whole community she lived with - and that's what needs to be celebrated. What an honor for the community members who saw Samia grow up as a toddler and who now see her as Judge Naseem. While she serves justice she alsoserves to inspire and is a source of encouragement for our young people.
Judge Naseem will be one of the 12 Judges sitting on the bench in Chicago and there are only 467 Judges in this category nationwide.
I wonder how her father Khalid Naseem will address her daughter in her chamber when other fellow-lawyers will be addressing her as 'Your Honor'.
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