Bangladeshi-American Nusrat recommended as New York judge

PBC News:  US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Wednesday asked President Joe Biden to nominate Bangladeshi-American Nusrat Choudhury and two other women experienced in civil rights litigation to serve as federal judges in New York.

If confirmed, she would be the first Bangladeshi-American, and only the second Muslim American, on the bench. The first, Zahid Quraishi, was confirmed by the US Senate for a seat in New Jersey in June.

Also, Jessica Clarke and Nina Morrison have been recommended to serve as federal judges in Manhattan and the Eastern District.

“These three diverse and incredibly talented women would bring tremendous expertise in civil rights, fair housing, criminal justice reform and more to the federal bench,” Chuck said in a statement.

Nusrat, 44, the legal director at the ACLU of Illinois, could serve as a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York, which has courthouses in Brooklyn and Central Islip.

She had previously worked since 2008 at the national ACLU, including as deputy director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program.

Schumer is the top Democrat in the US Senate and senior senator from New York. Biden often follows his recommendations for home-state nominees.

If Biden makes these nominations, they would further his goal of bringing more professional and demographic diversity to the judiciary.

Progressives and judicial reform proponents have long called for more judges on the federal bench with backgrounds other than the typical mix of former prosecutors or defence attorneys from major law firms, according to Reuters.