by Sharelle Burt
November 16, 2023
White House official says President Biden is scheduled to announce his intention to nominate Adeel A. Mangi to a federal appeals court
A White House official says President Biden is scheduled to announce his intention to nominate Adeel A. Mangi to a federal appeals court, making him the first Muslim American judge to serve, NBC News reports.
Mangi, an attorney and partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in New York, has an impressive resume which includes him serving on the board of directors of the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the Legal Aid Society of New York and Muslims for Progressive Values. He also serves as an ally board member for the National LGBT Bar Association. Throughout his legal career, Mangi has worked on commercial contracts, false advertising and consumer protection statutes in state and federal courts with clients. In 2022, he secured a $2 billion verdict in a case that involved the robbery of trade secrets in the software space.
The White House put the spotlight on how Mangi handled court filings before state and federal appeals courts – one appearing before the Supreme Court as a spokesperson for a multifaith religious coalition. He has been involved with numerous legal disputes case of discrimination against Muslims including one in 2016 when he filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Islamic group that pinned anti-Muslim rhetoric over the denial of a proposal to build a mosque in New Jersey.
Out of the five nominations Biden is projected to announce, Mangi’s appointment would fulfill Biden’s pledge to “ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” according to the Washington Post. Since 2021, the President Biden has nominated as many minority women to be judges in his first four months compared to Donald Trump get confirmation in four years.
Another nominee Biden is considering is Superior Court Judge Cristal Brisco from St. Joseph County, Indiana. She would be the first Black woman and the first woman of color to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana if confirmed.
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