[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 105 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Nomination of Nusrat Jahan Choudhury

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
Nusrat Jahan Choudhury to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern 
District of New York. Her historic confirmation will be an important 
step forward in this Senate's efforts to bring greater professional and 
demographic diversity to the Federal bench.
  Ms. Choudhury is a seasoned litigator who has dedicated virtually her 
entire career to defending the civil rights of all Americans. She 
attended Columbia University and Yale Law School before clerking for 
Judge Denise L. Cote on the Southern District of New York and for Judge 
Barrington D. Parker, Jr., on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. 
Following her clerkships, Ms. Choudhury began her career at the 
American Civil Liberties Union--ACLU--in New York, where she focused on 
racial justice and national security issues for nearly a decade. Since 
2020, she has served as the legal director of the ACLU in my home State 
of Illinois, specializing in issues including prison reform, civil 
rights, and government transparency. Ms. Choudhury has spent the vast 
majority of her time in practice litigating in Federal court, and she 
has tried three cases to verdict. Her courtroom experience and 
commitment to ensuring equal justice under law will serve her well on 
the Eastern District of New York.
  She will also bring important diversity to the bench as the first 
Bangladeshi American and first Muslim woman to serve as a Federal 
judge.
  The American Bar Association rated Ms. Choudhury ``well qualified'' 
for the district court, and she has the strong support of her home 
State Senators: Mr. Schumer and Mrs. Gillibrand.
  I support Ms. Choudhury's nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do 
the same.
  Mr. HEINRICH. I ask unanimous consent to start the regularly 
scheduled vote.