WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Tuesday appointed the country’s first Muslim to the federal judiciary bench, naming Pakistani-descent Abid Riaz Qureshi to the US district court for DC. The appointment assumes more significance at a time of heightened Islamophobia whipped up in part by Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.
“I am pleased to nominate Mr Qureshi to serve on the United States district court bench,” Obama said in a statement. “I am confident he will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.” The nomination has been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
This is another of Obama’s firsts for the judiciary, which he has sought to make more reflective of the country — starting with naming Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice of the Supreme Court.