Obama nominates Muslim lawyer to federal bench

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is hailing President Barack Obama’s decision to nominate a Muslim lawyer to the federal bench. Obama announced Wednesday he had selected Abid Riaz Qureshi to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Qureshi now works at the Washington, D.C., law firm Latham & Watkins, specializing in healthcare fraud and securities violations. If Congress confirms Qureshi’s nomination, he will be the first Muslim to hold a federal judicial post. But lawmakers are not expected to vote on any new judicial nominees before the November election, making it unlikely Obama will see Qureshi sworn in before he leaves office.