Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, a former attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), on Thursday became the first Bangladeshi American to be confirmed as a federal judge by the United States Senate.
Choudhury, aged 46, is also the first Muslim woman to hold this prestigious position, The Guardian reports. She will serve as a judge in the US court for the eastern district of New York.
Approval from the Senate is required for all federal judges, and her appointment was confirmed by a narrow margin of 50-49 votes.
Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat, voted against Choudhury's confirmation, stating that he believed some of her previous comments indicated a bias against law enforcement. Manchin expressed his opposition to her nomination, emphasizing his support for the police and military.
In addition to Choudhury, he also opposed the confirmation of two other federal judges nominated by President Biden: Dale Ho and Nancy Abudu. However, Ho and Abudu were confirmed despite Manchin's objections.
Before becoming a judge, Choudhury served as the deputy director of the ACLU's Racial Justice Program. She has a notable history of fighting against racial profiling and advocating for fair treatment of marginalized communities, particularly the poor.
One of her significant achievements was securing a federal court ruling that deemed the US government's no-fly list procedures to be in violation of due process.
She has also been involved in litigation challenging discriminatory surveillance practices targeting Muslims by the New York Police Department, resulting in a court-ordered settlement agreement.
Furthermore, she has worked to obtain public records regarding the FBI's racial and ethnic mapping program.
During a virtual event organized by the ACLU in March 2021, Choudhury shared her personal experiences, highlighting the impact of race on her life as a Muslim girl of colour in the Chicago area. She discussed unwarranted police stops, problems faced by family members at airports, and the evident residential segregation and disparities in opportunities between people of colour and white individuals in the city.
It is worth noting that Zahid Quraishi became the first Muslim federal judge in the US when he was appointed in 2021.
