Biden nominates Muslim woman to be federal judge in historic first

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden will nominate the first Muslim-American woman to serve as a federal judge, the White House announced Wednesday as he continues his push to diversify the federal judiciary.

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury has served as legal director for the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union advocacy group since 2020 and has worked with the union in various capacities since 2008. She is a graduate of Yale Law School and received her bachelor's degree from Columbia University.

Should Choudhury receive Senate confirmation she would become not only the first Muslim-American woman to serve on the federal bench but also the first Bangladeshi-American, the White House said in a statement.

She would also be the second Muslim-American federal judge.

Her nomination is part of eight nominees being proposed by Biden, the 13th tranche since the president assumed office in January 2021. Biden has now nominated 83 federal judges.

Other nominees include Judge Ana Isabel de Alba, who would be the first Latina to serve on the Eastern District of California and the second-ever Latino judge on that court. Judge Nina Nin-Yuen Wang would be just the second Asian-American to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.