Jun 10, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as first Muslim American federal judge

Jacob Knutson

Zahid Quraishi, nominee for U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, testifying during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April 2021. — Zahid Quraishi, then the nominee for U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, testifying during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April 2021. Photo: Tom Williams/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The Senate voted 81-16 on Thursday to confirm Zahid Quraishi as the U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey.

Why it matters: The vote makes Quraishi, the son of immigrants from Pakistan, the first Senate-confirmed Muslim American to serve as a federal judge and President Biden's third judicial nominee to be approved by the chamber.

Background: Quraishi was a military prosecutor and achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army.

He served in Iraq in 2004 and 2006 before being appointed as a United States magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey years later in June 2019.

What they're saying: "This is an extraordinary moment, and I'm glad this is a bipartisan moment," New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D) said before the vote.

"This is history here. America has never before had an Article III judge that also happens to be Muslim. Never before happened," Booker added. "His actions have shown his love for America."

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Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as first Muslim American federal judge

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