Obama just nominated the first Muslim to become a federal judge

President Obama nominates first Muslim to become federal judge.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 September 2016

President Obama inched the country toward making history Tuesday, when he nominated Pakistani-born Muslim lawyer Abid Riaz Qureshi to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If Qureshi wins Senate approval, he will be the first-ever Muslim to serve as a federal judge.

However, given Obama's trouble getting Congress to approve Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, there's a good chance Qureshi won't be confirmed before Obama's time in the Oval Office is up. Still, Muslim-American advocacy groups are praising the nomination as historic: "The nomination of Abid Qureshi to fill a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sends a message of inclusion that is welcomed by the American Muslim community and by all Americans who value diversity and mutual respect at a time when some seek division and discord," Nihad Awad, national executive director of the civil rights group Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement.