Biden Nominates Nusrat Choudhury To Be First Muslim Female Judge

Nusrat Choudhury became the first Muslim woman to be nominated to be a federal judge in the U.S. as one of the eight judges President Joe Biden nominated on Wednesday.

Choudhury is currently the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois.

“During her tenure as legal director in Illinois, she has among other things led our legal team in efforts to improve policing in Chicago, protect medically-vulnerable persons detained on immigration charges during the COVID pandemic in Illinois county jails, and challenged unfair practices that drive Chicago residents into bankruptcy to pay fines and fees,” ACLU executive director Colleen Connell said in a statement.

If confirmed by the Senate, Chaudhry will also be the first Bangladeshi-American woman to serve on the federal court. She will be working in the Eastern District of New York.

“These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country,” said a White House announcement.

The latest round of nominations bring the demographics of Biden’s nominees to 78% women and 53% people of color.

Choudhury graduated from Yale Law School, Columbia University and Princeton University.