Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history

District Judge for the District of New Jersey, making him the first Muslim American federal judge in the country's 244-year history.

Qurashi will be "the first Muslim American to serve as an Article III judge in our history," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote.

Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said before the vote, noting that Quraishi served two tours in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge.

magistrate judge in New Jersey — making him the first Asian-American to serve on the federal bench in the state