Nusrat Choudhury, a civil rights lawyer, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as a federal judge in New York, making her the first Muslim American woman and the first Bangladeshi American to hold that distinction. in US history.
Judge Choudhury, most recently the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, was confirmed by a vote of 50-49, with every Democrat but one supporting him.
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, praised Judge Choudhury on the Senate floor as “a shining example of the American dream.” Mr. Schumer recommended that President Biden nominate him for the judiciary.
“Our courts are at their strongest when they reflect the diversity and dynamism of our democracy, and we have a vibrant Bangladeshi community in New York and the United States,” Mr. Schumer said.
Judge Choudhury now begins a lifetime appointment in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which covers Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island and in recent years was the site of the indictment of Representative George Santos and the trials of singer R. Kelly, Mexican drug lord El Chapo and Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere.
His confirmation comes two years after Zahid N. Quraishi, a federal magistrate judge and the son of immigrants from Pakistan, was confirmed to a bench in the District of New Jersey and became the first Muslim federal judge. in the country.
As the Biden administration and Senate Democrats work to fill more vacancies in the federal judiciary, they have made it a priority to confirm people of color and those from non-traditional backgrounds, including public defenders. . The push comes after former President Donald J. Trump appointed more than 220 conservative justices during his term. Mr. Biden added 134 on Thursday.
Judge Choudhury, who has handled more than two dozen federal cases as an attorney, became legal director of the ACLU of Illinois in January 2020. He oversees a group that focuses on issues including rights the First Amendment, government transparency, voting rights, access to reproductive health care and the rights of children in foster care and people in prisons and jails.
Before joining the organization’s Illinois chapter, he spent more than 11 years at national headquarters, including seven as the deputy director of the Racial Justice Program. He filed a lawsuit challenging the New York Police Department’s surveillance of Muslims, which resulted in a court-ordered settlement.
Judge Choudhury’s time at the ACLU of Illinois “has been marked by his professionalism and undying commitment to advancing and protecting civil liberties,” Colleen Connell, the chapter’s executive director, said in a statement.
“Nusrat joins a proud tradition of legendary ACLU advocates, especially Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who stepped away from advocacy to wear a black coat and defend our Constitution,” Ms. Connell said.
Senator Joe Manchin, the lone Democrat to vote against Judge Choudhury, said in a statement that he opposed his nomination because he doubted “his ability to be impartial in the work of our brave law enforcement.”
Judge Choudhury received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a master’s in public and international affairs from Princeton University and a law degree from Yale Law School.
He clerked for Judge Denise L. Cote of the Southern District of New York and Judge Barrington Parker Jr. in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.
The Senate this week also confirmed Dale Ho as a judge for the Southern District of New York. The confirmations of Judge Ho and Judge Choudhury bring to 21 the number of Asian Americans on the federal bench, adding to the ranks of a traditionally underrepresented group.
