Who Is Nusrat Jahan Choudhury? First Muslim Woman To Become US Federal Judge

The United States is all set to have the first Muslim woman to serve as a federal judge. Bangladeshi American Lawyer Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, who was nominated by POTUS, was recently confirmed by the Senate for the position.

A Civil Rights Attorney, Nusrat Jahan Choudhury was nominated for the Eastern District of New York earlier in January 2022. She is now confirmed to the life-tenured position, which she won with a margin of 50-49 votes.

Choudhury earlier served at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois as the legal director. She holds a tenacious track record when it comes to working for immigrants' rights, reproductive care access and advancing the criminal justice system.

Who Is Nusrat Jahan Choudhury?

Having pursued a bachelor's degree in Arts from Columbia, Choudhury went on to do a Master of Public Administration from Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She further studied at the Yale Law School, post which she began her career working for Judge Denise Cote of the US District Court in New York. She also worked for Judge Barrington D. Parker Jr.

Choudhury further gained experience at the National ACLU in NY City from 2008 to 2020. She has worked as the Legal Director of the ACLU Illinois since 2020.

Nominated to Dtrict court in 2022

President Biden nominated Choudhury to serve as a US district judge of the District Court for NY's Eastern District in January 2022. She was nominated for the seat which Judge Joseph F. Bianco vacated after he was appointed to serve the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

After more than a year of nomination and the legal process of voting and hearings, Choudhury was finally confirmed with a 50-49 vote. This counts as a historic moment for not just for Choudhury but also her native land as her appointment makes her the Choudhury first Bangladeshi American and Muslim woman to serve in this high order.

Senator Chuck Schumer took to Twitter to confirm the news publicly. He also mentioned how he had nominated her to the President for this position. "Nusrat Choudhury to be a US District Judge for the Eastern District of New York! She's an ACLU Legal Director and I was proud to recommend her to POTUS. She makes history as the first Bangladeshi American and first Muslim American to serve as a federal judge," he tweeted. 

Choudhury's father, who had come to the US after winning a Fulbright grant, has practised as a physician in Chicago for over four decades. Choudhury is married to Visual Effects Producer Michael Early since 2016.

Photo credit: Alamy 

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