Nomination of Zahid N. Quraishi

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this week the Senate will consider the nomination of Zahid Quraishi to be judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Judge Quraishi has had an amazing public service career, and since 2019 he has served as a U.S. magistrate judge. Once confirmed, Mr. Quraishi of New Jersey will be the first Muslim American in U.S. history to serve as an article III Federal judge.

The son of Pakistani immigrants, Judge Quraishi was born in New York City and grew up in Fanwood, NJ. He graduated from Rutgers Law School and joined a law firm in his home State of New Jersey. But his time in the private sector was cut short by a strange, tragic twist of fate. His first day of work was September 11, 2001.

Those events of that day inspired Judge Quraishi to consider a career in public service. He applied to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he was commissioned as an officer and attained the rank of captain. Judge Quraishi was twice deployed to Iraq, in 2004 and 2006. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge.

After leaving the Army, Judge Quraishi continued to work in public service, first as an assistant chief counsel in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and then as a Federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.

Before becoming a U.S. magistrate judge, Judge Quraishi served as a partner as well as chief diversity officer at a law firm in New Jersey. During his time, he was recognized as a New Leader of the Bar by the New Jersey Law Journal and awarded the Professional Achievement Award by the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association.

Judge Quraishi received a unanimous rating of ``well qualified'' from the American Bar Association. He also has strong support from his home State Senators, Senators Booker and Menendez, and received broad, bipartisan support in the Judiciary Committee, with eight Republicans joining all Democrats in voting to advance his nomination.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this historic nomination.

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