Nusrat Jahan Choudhury
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Assumed office
July 5, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byJoseph F. Bianco
Personal details
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1]
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)
Yale University (JD)

Nusrat Jahan Choudhury (Bengali: নুসরত জাহান চৌধুরী; born 1976)[2] is a Bangladeshi American[3] lawyer who is serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Choudhury is the first Muslim woman and first Bangladeshi American to serve as a federal judge.

Education

Choudhury earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 1998,[4] a Master of Public Administration from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs in 2006, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2006.[5][6]

Career

Choudhury began her career as a law clerk for Judge Denise Cote of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2006 to 2007 and Judge Barrington D. Parker Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2007 to 2008. She worked at the national ACLU based in New York City from 2008 to 2020.[3] She worked as a staff attorney for the ACLU National Security Project and Racial Justice Program during her time there. From 2020 to 2023, she was the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.[7][8][9]

Federal judicial service

On January 19, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Choudhury to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. President Biden nominated Choudhury to the seat vacated by Judge Joseph F. Bianco, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on May 17, 2019.[10]

On April 27, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[11][12] During her confirmation hearing, she was asked whether she had said "the killing of unarmed Black men by police happens every day in America." Choudhury at first testified she was not sure she made that statement but then said she "said it in my role as an advocate." Her testimony caused several law enforcement groups, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the Sergeants Benevolent Association, to oppose her nomination. Two weeks after her hearing, Choudhury sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee denying that she had made the statement.[12] Republicans on the Judiciary Committee requested a second hearing due to Choudhury's contradictory statements,[13] but Senator Dick Durbin rejected the request for a second hearing.[14] On May 26, 2022, her nomination was reported out of the committee by a 12–10 vote.[15] On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate; she was renominated later the same day.[16] On February 9, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[17] On June 14, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 50–47 vote, with Senator Joe Manchin voting against the motion to invoke cloture on her nomination.[18] On June 15, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–49 vote,[19] with Senator Joe Manchin voting against confirmation because her "previous statements call into question her ability to be unbiased towards the work of our brave law enforcement."[20] Choudhury is the third ACLU lawyer to be confirmed directly to the federal bench as an Article III judge after Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1980 and Dale Ho one day prior on June 14, 2023.[21] She received her judicial commission on July 5, 2023.[22] Choudhury became the first Muslim woman and first Bangladeshi American to serve as a federal judge.[23]

Personal life

Choudhury's father won a Fulbright grant to come to the United States and worked in the Chicago area for 40 years as a physician.[20] Choudhury married Michael Early, a visual effects producer, in 2016.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ Voruganti, Harsh (February 28, 2022). "Nusrat Choudhury". The Vetting Room. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Chuck Schumer Recommends 3 Progressive Women for Federal Judgeships". September 2021.
  4. ↑ "Alumni in the News: May 9, 2022". Columbia College Today. May 6, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Biden pick could become first Muslim woman to serve as federal judge". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ Columbia College (Columbia University). Office of Alumni Affairs and Development; Columbia College (Columbia University) (September 2008). Columbia College today. Columbia University Libraries. New York, N.Y. : Columbia College, Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.
  7. ↑ "President Biden Names Thirteenth Round of Judicial Nominees". The White House. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ↑ "Biden nominates Muslim woman to be federal judge in historic first". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ "'Reset' Exclusive: ACLU Of Illinois Announces New Legal Director". WBEZ Chicago. February 18, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 19, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  11. ↑ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. April 25, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Written Questions for Nusrat Choudhury" (PDF).
  13. ↑ Raymond, Nate (May 19, 2022). "Republicans seek rare 2nd hearing on Biden judge pick over police comments". Reuters.
  14. ↑ Raymond, Nate (May 24, 2022). "Republicans' bid for 'unusual' 2nd hearing on Biden judicial pick rejected". Reuters.
  15. ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 26, 2022" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 3, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 9, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Nusrat Jahan Choudhury to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York)". United States Senate. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York)". United States Senate. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  20. 1 2 Headley, Tiana. "Choudhury Confirmed as First Muslim Woman Federal Judge". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Nusrat Choudhury Confirmation for the Eastern District of New York". aclu.org. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  22. ↑ Nusrat Jahan Choudhury at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  23. ↑ Garrison, Joey (January 19, 2022). "Biden nominates Muslim woman to the federal bench, a first in US history as he diversifies the judiciary". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  24. ↑ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (November 5, 2016). "Nusrat Choudhury and Michael Early: After a Month in Limbo, a Connection". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
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