Joe Biden nominates first Muslim-American woman to federal bench

Historic nomination for Nusrat Jahan Choudhury comes as President Biden diversifies US judiciary

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury has served as legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois since 2020. Milwaukee Sentinel Journal via AP

US President Joe Biden nominated Nusrat Jahan Choudhury as the first Muslim-American woman to serve on the federal bench as he continues to expand the judiciary, the White House announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Ms Choudhury, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois since 2020, has been tapped for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

If confirmed by the Senate, she would also be the first Bangladeshi American and second Muslim American to serve as a federal judge.

Zahid Quraishi, the son of Pakistani immigrants, was confirmed by the Senate in June to serve as federal judge in the District of New Jersey.

Before serving in her role as legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, Ms Choudhury was deputy director of the Racial Justice Programme from 2018-2020.

She has led litigation to protect immigrants from dangerous detention conditions and initiated efforts to halt racial profiling and the targeting people of colour.

Ms Choudhury is one of eight federal nominees by Mr Biden as he continues to diversify the judiciary. The other nominees include two black women, a Latina and a Taiwanese immigrant.

The most recent round of nominees “continue to fulfil the president’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country”, the White House said in a statement.

Mr Biden has announced 83 federal judiciary nominees since being sworn in as president. More than 40 judicial nominees have been confirmed so far.