On September 6, 2016, President Obama nominated Abid Riaz Qureshi to serve as a judge on the Federal Judiciary Bench in Columbia’s District court. If approved by the Senate Judiciary committee, he will be the first Muslim judge to serve on a federal court in the U.S. Qureshi is a partner at the D.C. law firm, Latham & Watkins LLP, and specializes in cases involving the False Claims Act, health care fraud and securities violations.
President Obama released a statement, saying: “I am pleased to nominate Mr. Qureshi to serve on the United States District Court bench. I am confident he will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.” The hard part isn’t over yet – now Qureshi has to be confirmed. Republicans in the Senate have blocked many of Obama’s nominees for the federal judiciary, and are on track to confirm fewer than any president in the past 30 years.
Considering there’s a shortage of federal judges, causing backlogs and burnouts, maybe this historic nominee can make it through and get confirmed.
