US President Joe Biden officially announced on Tuesday the nomination of Zahid Quraishi to the US District Court of New Jersey and, if confirmed by the Senate, he will be the first Muslim American to serve as a federal district judge.
Mr Biden's first 11 judicial nominees include three black women chosen for circuit court vacancies, the first Asian American woman to serve on the US District Court for the District of Columbia, and the first woman of colour to serve as a federal judge for the District of Maryland.
“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” Mr Biden said. “Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our constitution and impartially to the American people – and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience and perspective that makes our nation strong.”
Mr Quraishi, the first Muslim nominee for a federal district judge position, was also the first Muslim to become the magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey, Trenton vicinage, on June 3, 2019.
Mr Quraishi, who is of Pakistani ancestry, is also the first Asian American to sit on the federal bench in New Jersey.
A Rutgers Law School graduate, Mr Quraishi served as a military prosecutor and achieved the rank of captain in the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps. He was sent to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2006, the White House said.
More recently, he was a partner at Riker Danzig where he led the firm’s white collar criminal defence and investigations department and served as the firm’s first chief diversity officer.
He also served as an assistant US attorney in the US attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey and assistant chief counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr Quraishi received congratulations from several US leaders and organisations including the American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee, which hailed his nomination as "history in the making".
Mr Biden campaigned on bringing diversity to the judicial bench and the White House is highlighting the speed of bringing forth such nominations.
“The intent to nominate 11 individuals today is faster than any president in modern history,” the White House said.
Mr Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, also made these nominations a priority, appointing more than 200 judges to the federal bench in four years.
In contrast, former US president Barack Obama was criticised for a slower pace and narrower legacy in shaping the federal bench.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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