United States attorney Nadia Kahf has been appointed to the Superior Court of New Jersey, becoming the first hijab judge on the bench, local media reported.
Kahf is a legal and immigration attorney from the town of Wayne, who is of Syrian descent. She took the oath of office yesterday with her hand on a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, according to the local news website North Jersey.
She will serve as a Passaic County Superior Court judge after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy nominated her a year ago, according to local media.
While 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 served on the board of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization of which Kahf now serves as chair.
She is also legal counsel for Wafa House, a non-profit domestic violence and social services agency based in the city of Clifton, and chair of the Islamic Center of Passaic County.
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