US President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated a leading lawyer as the first Pakistan-born, Muslim-American judge on a federal appeals court, amid criticism of his Middle East policy following Israel’s Gaza attack, ahead of next year’s elections.
Biden nominated New Jersey attorney Adeel Mangi to join the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals. Mangi, who was born in Pakistan, started his legal career more than two decades ago at Patterson Belknap and became a partner in 2010. During his professional journey, he successfully fought a case on behalf of the Muslim community in New Jersey that wanted to establish mosques in Bernards Township and Bayonne.
According to Reuters, his nomination is in line with the Biden administration’s decision to diversify the federal judiciary.
“I applaud @POTUS’s nomination of Adeel Mangi to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,” Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey proclaimed in a social media post. “I was honored to call him and share that I would strongly encourage the President to make him the first Muslim American nominated for a seat on our federal appeals courts.”
The US-based NBC News reported that Mangi’s nomination has been made at a time when the Biden administration has been facing increasing pressure to address Islamophobia following the recent Israel-Gaza conflict. “Some Muslim voters have expressed frustration with Biden’s declaration last month of unwavering support for Israel without seeking a cease-fire,” it added.
