Pakistan-born lawyer may become first Muslim American judge in US federal appeals court

In a first for Muslim Americans, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Pakistan-born lawyer Adeel Mangi to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court, reported The Washington Post.

If the US Senate approves Mangi's nomination then the Harvard and Oxford-trained lawyer would become the first Muslim American to serve as a judge on a US appellate court.

The lawyer was nominated for the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, based in Philadelphia. His nomination was announced along with seven other judicial nominees.

Mangi is currently a partner at the US law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP — a company he joined in 2000 after graduating from Harvard Law School with an LLM. He is also a member of the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn and holds a First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford.

The Pakistan-born lawyer is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Alliance of Families for Justice.

Adeel Mangi has also worked with the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the Legal Aid Society of New York, and Muslims for Progressive Values.

Among his litigation highs, the lawyer, as per his law firm, had secured the largest jury verdict in the history of the Virginia court system in a theft of trade secrets case in the software industry. He has also secured the largest settlement with New York state in history in cases involving the death of a state prison inmate.

The lawyer has actively taken up religious freedom cases and was at the forefront of legal battles involving the Muslim community during the tenure of Donald Trump.

Interestingly, the lawyer’s nomination comes as President Biden receives flak from Muslim voters for his pro-Israel stance during the conflict in Gaza and concerns over rising Islamophobia.

Furthermore, Mangi’s nomination comes two years after Biden nominated Zahid N Quraishi, the first Muslim, to a federal district court. Qureshi was confirmed by the US Senate for a judgeship in New Jersey.

Quraishi is also of Pakistani descent and was confirmed by the Senate, 83 to 16 for the federal judgeship.