Quraishi confirmed as first-ever Muslim federal judge

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The U.S. Senate confirmed Zahid Quraishi to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by a vote of 81-16 on June 10.

Quraishi, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in March at the same time as now-Judge Julien Xavier Neals, is the first Muslim federal judge in the country.

“Another barrier has been broken, and it has been broken in New Jersey,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a prepared statement.

“As a captain in the United States Army, an attorney in private practice, an Assistant United States Attorney, and a federal magistrate judge, Judge Quraishi has built a strong and commendable legal record. I know that all who enter his courtroom in search of justice will benefit from his experience, his knowledge, and his commitment to the law,” Murphy said.

Quraishi was previously a partner at Riker Danzig where he chaired the firm’s white-collar criminal defense and investigations group and served as his firm’s first chief diversity officer. Prior to entering private practice, Quraishi served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey from 2008 to 2013; and as an assistant chief counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in years prior.

He also served as a military prosecutor and achieved the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2006.

“Judge Quraishi has devoted his career to serving our country, and his story embodies both the rich diversity of New Jersey and the promise of America as a place where anything is possible,” said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, during a speech on the Senate floor prior to the confirmation vote. “Zahid Quraishi is a man of integrity, a consummate public servant, and a trailblazer for Asian Americans and Muslim Americans across this country who dream of one day presiding over a court of their own. We should all draw inspiration from his story, because it is a story that could only take place in the United States of America.”