MuBANY Statement on Historic Nomination of Nusrat J. Choudhury to EDNY

MuBANY welcomes the White House’s announcement naming the Biden-Harris administration’s thirteenth round of federal judicial nominees. The slate of nominations reflect both the personal and professional diversity of America, and we applaud the administration for their commitment to diversifying the federal bench. Today’s announcement includes candidates with an impressive range of personal and professional experiences—Federal defenders to sitting state and federal judges; law firm partners to legal directors of prominent civil rights organizations; African-Americans, Latinas, and Asian-Americans. The announcement also includes Nusrat J. Choudhury who, if confirmed, would be the first Bangladeshi-American, the first Muslim woman, and only the second Muslim person to serve as a Federal Judge in the country. If confirmed, Ms. Choudhury would also be the first Muslim Federal Judge in the State of New York, a fact that MuBANY appreciates beyond measure. MuBANY hopes that Ms. Choudhury is the first of many Muslim women to serve on the Federal bench. 

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury has served as the Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois since 2020. From 2008 to 2020, Ms. Choudhury held numerous positions with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, last serving as the Deputy Director of the Racial Justice Program from 2018 to 2020. Ms. Choudhury also served as a Senior Staff Attorney for the Racial Justice Program from 2016 to 2018, a Staff Attorney for the Racial Justice Program from 2013 to 2016, a Staff Attorney for the National Security Project from 2009 to 2013, and a Marvin M. Karpatkin Fellow with the Racial Justice Program from 2008 to 2009. Ms. Choudhury served as a law clerk for Judge Barrington D. Parker, Jr. on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2007 to 2008 and for Judge Denise L. Cote on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2006 to 2007. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2006, her M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs in 2006, and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Columbia University in 1998.

MuBANY looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris administration in identifying additional qualified candidates for the federal bench and establishing a judiciary that reflects the diversity it presides over. In October 2020, MuBANY wrote to the Biden-Harris campaign to note the dearth of Muslim-American representation on the federal judiciary, and noted that “the Muslim American community is currently one of the most ethnically diverse faith communities in the U.S.” and that “Muslims’ role in America pre-dates the founding of the nation.” MuBANY welcomes the strides that these nominations take in moving the needle forward on this representation, and looks forward to much more. 

To learn more about MuBANY or our judiciary initiative, please visit our website or email us at info@mubany.org.