SHAFAQNA- Joe Biden nominated several black women, an Asian American and the first Muslim ever to federal judgeships on Tuesday (Mar 30) in a push for diversity in the US court system. Breaking with predecessor Donald Trump’s four-year effort to staff federal courts with largely white male conservatives, Biden unveiled his first 11 picks for judges, with only two of them men, neither of them white.
At the top of his list was nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is African-American, to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is known to handle major cases. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson, 50, would replace Merrick Garland – who is now Biden’s attorney general – and be in a good position to become a candidate for the Supreme Court if a vacancy opens up.
No black woman has yet served on the nine-justice high court. Zahid Quraishi, 45, would become the first ever Muslim to serve as a federal district judge if approved by the Senate. Quraishi is of Pakistani ancestry and currently serves as a magistrate judge in New Jersey. “Judge Quraishi has defended and served our country with distinction in numerous roles – and will make history if confirmed as the first Muslim American federal judge,” said New Jersey senator Cory Booker.
Source: AFP/ec