1. Zahid Nisar Quraishi was born on July 19,1975 and is an American judge.
17 Facts About Zahid Quraishi
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Zahid Quraishi is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and a former United States magistrate judge of the same court.
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Zahid Quraishi is the first Muslim Article III federal judge confirmed by the United States Senate.
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Zahid Quraishi graduated in 1993 from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.
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Zahid Quraishi received his Bachelor of Arts from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1997, and his Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in 2000.
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In June 2003, Zahid Quraishi left private practice to serve in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.
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Zahid Quraishi's service was distinguished by numerous decorations, including the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge, as well as multiple commendation and achievement medals.
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In 2007, Zahid Quraishi became an assistant chief counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City for approximately one year.
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Zahid Quraishi later became an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, from 2008 to 2013.
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Zahid Quraishi taught courses on trial presentation at Rutgers Law School in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021.
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Zahid Quraishi served as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he was appointed to on June 3,2019, and left in 2021 upon becoming a district judge.
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Zahid Quraishi was the first Asian-American to sit on the federal bench in New Jersey.
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On March 30,2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Zahid Quraishi to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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Zahid Quraishi's nomination drew scrutiny from some Muslim American advocates, who criticized the Biden administration for sidestepping a number of Muslim American civil rights organizations to nominate Zahid Quraishi.
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Zahid Quraishi received his judicial commission on June 22,2021.
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In 2024, Quraishi oversaw Kim v Hanlon, a case brought by Senate candidate Andy Kim and others challenging the county line, a ballot design that allowed county party leaders to give preferential ballot placement to endorsed primary candidates.
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On March 29,2024, Zahid Quraishi issued an injunction against the county line, directing clerks to instead print ballots with candidates organized by office in randomized order for the 2024 Democratic primary election.