Hi Friend,

It’s a privilege to share the fruits of years of Muslim Advocates’ judicial nominations work. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden nominated Nusrat Jahan Choudhury to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

If confirmed, Choudhury would be the first Muslim woman to be a Senate-confirmed federal judge and only the second Muslim to serve in this role. She would also be the first Bangladeshi-American to serve on the federal judiciary!

As part of Muslim Advocates’ effort to support Choudhury, we sent Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) a letter last summer asking them to recommend her to the White House—a necessary step towards a formal nomination. Last September, Sen. Schumer officially asked President Biden to nominate Choudhury.

What makes Choudhury so inspiring to us is that she is a civil rights lawyer with years of practice with the ACLU, one of our partners, fighting for the rights of communities that face discrimination and injustice. We are confident that she will be a good judge because she has spent her entire professional life in the trenches, fighting for justice.

Muslim Advocates pushed for Choudhury’s nomination not only because we believe in supporting Muslim representation in public service but also because we are committed to supporting those who will bring more justice and equity into our courtrooms—especially federal courtrooms. Choudhury represents the best of Muslim Advocates’ values as an inspiring example of an American Muslim serving the public good.

She will next face a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee—a process that has not been kind to American Muslims. Muslim Advocates will do everything we can to reach out to members of the committee and make sure that they treat Choudhury fairly and avoid using anti-Muslim tropes in their questions. We will keep you apprised of this progress and will let you know how you too can help by urging your senators to vote yes when Nusrat Chaudhury, the first-ever Muslim woman to be nominated to the federal bench, comes up for a vote.

Today, please celebrate this historic moment for American Muslims. Advocating for increased diversity in the judiciary has been a priority for the amazing Muslim Advocates staff for years, and this victory was made possible only by your support and partnership. Thank you.

In solidarity,

Farah Brelvi and Asifa Quraishi-Landes
Co-Interim Executive Directors
Muslim Advocates