Nusrat becomes first Bangladeshi-American federal judge

Civil rights lawyer Nusrat Choudhury has become the first Bangladeshi-American and female Muslim federal judge in the United States.

The United States Senate voted to confirm Choudhury’s appointment on Thursday, and she will serve as a federal judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

US civil liberties and Muslim advocacy groups have welcomed the confirmation of Nusrat Jahan Choudhury.

Choudhury, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote. She will also be the first Bangladeshi-American federal judge.

Choudhury previously spent most of her professional career with the national ACLU, where she worked on racial justice and national security issues. She was deputy director of the organization's racial justice program from 2018 until 2020. US President Joe Biden nominated her to the federal bench in January 2022.