US attorney Nadia Kahf has been appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court, becoming the first hijab-wearing judge on the bench, local media reported.
Kahf, who is of Syrian origin, is a law and immigration attorney from the township of Wayne. She took the oath of office yesterday with her hand on a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, according to local news website North Jersey.
She will serve as a Passaic County Superior Court judge after New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy nominated her a year ago, according to local media.
Though Kahf is not the first Muslim woman to serve as a state judge, she is the first to wear a hijab on the bench.
Since 2003, she has sat on the board of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organisation where Kahf now serves as chairwoman.
She is also the legal adviser to Wafa House, a nonprofit domestic violence and social services agency based in the city of Clifton, and chairwoman of the Islamic Centre of Passaic County.
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