BONSERNEWS.com – The United States Senate (US), Thursday, June 15, 2023, confirmed civil rights lawyer Nusrat Choudhury as a judge at the Eastern District Court of the Americas, New York. She is the first federal judge of Bangladeshi descent and the first Muslim woman in the United States. Jacqueline Thomsen reported it for VOA.
Choudhury, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, was confirmed by 50-49 votes. President Joe Biden nominated him for the federal bench in January 2022.
The Senate Democratic Chair, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement that “Choudhury’s experience as a talented and dedicated civil rights litigator has prepared him to serve with integrity and professionalism on the federal bench. He will be a judge with facts, fairness, and with great respect for the rule of law.”
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Choudhury faced resistance from parts of the Senate Republicans after giving inconsistent answers about whether he made a comment during the 2015 events at Princeton University that police killings of unarmed black men occur “every day”. In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Commission panel, he later said that “Such statements are inconsistent with my deep respect for the rule of law.”
Previously, Biden also appointed Zahid Quraishi as the first Muslim federal judge in American history. The Senate confirmed him in 2021 as the federal judge for New Jersey. (ka/ab)/voaindonesia.com. ()