Nusrat Jahan Choudhury Confirmed as First Muslim-American Female Federal Judge

by Rehan Qamar

The US Senate confirmed Nusrat Jahan Choudhury as a federal judge, making her the first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi American to hold this position.

Choudhury’s confirmation came with a 50-49 vote to serve a life-tenured role on the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

In response to the vote Omar Farah, the Executive Director of Muslim Advocates, said, “Today’s long-awaited vote to elevate Nusrat Choudhury to the federal bench is historic for many reasons. Ms. Choudhury has devoted her career to ensuring that all people are treated fairly by our legal system. Her confirmation today means that someone who has worked in the civil rights trenches and confronted barriers to justice that exist in too many communities will be making critical decisions as a federal judge.”

She previously worked for the ACLU.

During her time there at an event in 2021, Choudhury said: “As a Muslim young girl of color here in the Chicago area, race was a part of my reality. It led to police stops that shouldn’t have ever happened; it led to family members facing problems at airports; and led to what I saw around me, which was dramatic residential segregation and different opportunities for people of color than for white people in the city of Chicago.”

With her confirmation, Choudhury is the second Muslim appointed to be a U.S. federal judge and the first Muslim woman.