Zahid Quraishi Makes History as First Muslim American Federal Judge
By Hannan Adely
A New Jersey magistrate judge and former prosecutor will become the first Muslim (a Pakistani American) to serve on the federal bench, in a move hailed as a groundbreaking step toward representation and diversity.
Zahid Quraishi of Union County won broad bipartisan support from the US Senate on Thursday, which confirmed his appointment as a US district judge for the District of New Jersey, 81-16. He was the second New Jersey official in as many days to win approval to a federal judgeship. On Tuesday, senators voted 66-33 to appoint Bergen County administrator Julien X. Neals .
Senator Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat who recommended Quraishi, 46, for the position, lauded him as a person of conviction and patriotism "who happens to also be Muslim."
"We celebrate religious plurality and religious diversity," Booker said. "And so this is an extraordinary moment. Now I am thrilled that it's a bipartisan moment."
Dalya Youssef, president of the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, said she followed the proceedings closely and was excited about the prospect of the first Muslim judge on the federal bench.
"Muslims are part of the community and the fabric of our society here and we should be represented in all forms of government including legislative, judicial and executive," she said.
Born to Pakistani immigrants - Shahida P. Quraishi and Dr Nisar A. Quraishi - in New York City and raised in Fanwood in Union County, Quraishi was among a diverse slate of 11 judicial nominees put forward by President Joe Biden earlier this year.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Rutgers Law School graduate changed the trajectory of his career, joining the Army in 2003 as a military prosecutor and attaining the rank of captain. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2006.
"Judge Quraishi has devoted his career to serving our country, and his story embodies both the rich diversity of New Jersey and the promise of America as a place where anything is possible," US Sen. Bob Menendez said on the Senate floor Thursday.
Quraishi has served as assistant chief counsel at the US Department of Homeland Security and an assistant US attorney trying cases of public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud.
Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said he hoped more Muslims would be appointed in the future. Too often, Muslims had been excluded or faced extra scrutiny because of their faith , he said.
"We expect at some point there to be more judges nominated by the White House and confirmed by the Senate, and we hope they remove this barrier of a religious litmus test for nominees," Al-Marayati said. - NorthJersey.com
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