First female Muslim federal judge in US history confirmed by the Senate

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday confirmed Nusrat Choudhury, a longtime civil rights attorney, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, making her the nation's first female Muslim federal judge.

Choudhury, a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney, was confirmed 50-49 on a mostly party-line vote. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, joined Republicans in opposing her.

Choudhury has served as the legal director of the ACLU of Illinois since 2020. She clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Barrington Parker, who was nominated to the appeals bench in New York by former President George W. Bush and to U.S. District Court by former President Bill Clinton. She received her law degree from Yale.

Nomination: Biden nominates Muslim woman to the federal bench, a first in US history as he diversifies the judiciary

She is also the first Bangladeshi-American to serve as a federal judge.

Biden also nominated the first Muslim federal judge, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi, who was confirmed in 2021. The Biden administration has made diversifying the federal judiciary − including with professional diversity − a centerpiece of the president’s agenda.

Choudhury faced pushback from Senate Republicans over whether she said at a 2015 event that police killings of unarmed Black men “happens every day in America.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she provided “extremely conflicting testimony” about the remarks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate confirms Nusrat Choudhury as first female Muslim federal judge