The US Senate has confirmed along party lines Nusrat Jahan Choudhury as the first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi American to serve as a federal judge.
The Senate narrowly approved Choudhury’s nomination in a 50-49 vote with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin siding with all Republicans in voting in opposition.
She will now be a US District Judge for the Eastern District of New York.
Choudhury previously served as a legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] rights group after serving as Deputy Director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program.
A brief biography posted on the ACLU’s website says she has led efforts to combat racial profiling, and the targeting of people of colour for surveillance.
She graduated from Columbia University, Princeton University, and Yale Law School.
