WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has nominated Adeel A. Mangi for a federal judgeship, and if confirmed, he would be the first Muslim-American and the first Pakistani on any US circuit court.
Mr Mangi, from a prominent Sindhi family, is among five nominees for federal judgeships released by the White House.
His nomination aligns with the administration’s commitment to diversify the judiciary. He has been nominated for the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, and covers the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands.
Born in Karachi, Mr Mangi received his Law degree from the University of Oxford in 1998. He attended Lincoln’s Inn and the Inns of Court School of Law in London, qualifying as a British Barrister at Law in 1999.
He received his LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2000 and has since worked at Partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler in New York as a civil litigator representing an array of clients in complex high-stakes cases.
He has devoted thousands of hours to pro bono service, filed numerous amicus briefs in the federal appellate courts and before the US Supreme Court on behalf of cross-faith religious coalitions, and, among his many other legal accomplishments, successfully fought on behalf of Muslim communities seeking to build and open mosques.
The White House emphasised his experience handling court filings, including representing a multi-faith coalition in a case before the Supreme Court.
Against the backdrop of rising Islamophobia and threats faced by the Muslim community, Mr Mangi’s nomination comes at a crucial time.
