Zahid Quraishi is first Muslim judge appointed to federal court
The US Senate made history on June 10 by confirming the first presidentially appointed Muslim American judge to a federal court. Zahid Quraishi was confirmed by a vote of 81–16 and will serve the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Quraishi is the son of immigrants to the United States from Pakistan. He graduated from law school at Rutgers University and took a job in a law firm, only to join the army in June 2003 to serve in its Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He was later assigned to the First Infantry Division, based in Germany.
Quraishi also holds the distinction of being the first person of Asian American heritage to sit on the federal bench in New Jersey.
