In the twilight of his historic presidency and during a tumultuous period for American Muslims, President Barack Obama took the bold move of nominating Abid Riaz Qureshi to serve on the federal bench of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. President Obama’s nominee is not just a step forward for Muslims, but for America at large. Qureshi is the first Muslim to be nominated for a U.S. District Court judge position.
Qureshi, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent, has worked hard to receive such an honor and is unequivocally qualified to fill the position. He completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in New York, and earned his Jurist Doctorate from the esteemed Harvard Law School. As an attorney, Qureshi built his career at the world’s highest grossing law firm, Latham & Watkins LLP, whose revenue is said to be above $2.6 billion. At a firm with over 2000 attorneys in its employ, spanning across the United States, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, making a name for oneself is no easy feat.
Abid Qureshi is known as a people’s attorney. Throughout his career, he has helped and aided the average American citizen with a focus on health-care fraud and securities violations. For the past four years, Qureshi has served as Latham & Watkins LLP’s first global chair of its Pro Bono Committee, where in 2015 he oversaw more than 188,000 hours of pro bono services to the poor and disadvantaged valued at approximately $118 million. In addition, Qureshi has served on the Legal Ethics Committee of the District of Columbia Bar since 2015.
More than 30 of President Obama’s federal nominees are waiting on the Senate to schedule confirmation hearings. This includes U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, who has already made history for having waited the longest to be confirmed for the highest court in the nation. Yet, with the 114th Congressional session set to end on December 16, and the republican majority determined to obstruct President Obama until the last possible moment, Qureshi’s chances to be confirmed are slim to none.
Despite the real possibility that the Senate will allow Qureshi’s nomination to languish and expire President Obama must be applauded and thanked for his foresight and continued acknowledgement of the contributions and importance of American Muslims. Indeed, inaction on the part of the Senate would be a disservice to this nation.
Now more than ever, our country is in need of leaders truly committed to justice for all. Qureshi fits such a profile and has a legal track record to prove it. Should Hillary Rodham Clinton become the 45th President, she is at liberty to choose her own nominees. However, it would be in the best interest of this country for her to nominate Abid Qureshi for the vacancy at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. President Obama said in a statement regarding Qureshi, “I am confident he will serve the American people with integrity and steadfast commitment to justice.” The fact is, this is what Americans need.
Source: Islamic Post Staff
