Nadia Kahf made history this week by becoming the first judge to take an oath in New Jersey while wearing a hijab. She chose to press her hand on a copy of the Holy Quran, which she inherited from her grandmother when making her oath.
The 50-year-old family law expert expressed her joy and honor in an interview with the North Jersey news outlet. She believes that the bench will now reflect the diversity of New Jersey’s residents.
Ms. Kahf has been a member of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, since 2003. After a year of waiting, she was nominated by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and is now a state Superior Court judge in Passaic County.
American attorney Nadia Kahf, appointed to the Supreme Court of the state of New Jersey, became the first hijab-wearing judge on the bench.
She took the oath of office with her hand on the Quran pic.twitter.com/LyNoYwjga8
— TRT World (@trtworld) March 23, 2023
At her swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, she said, “I am proud to represent the Muslim and Arab communities in New Jersey in the United States. I want the younger generation to see that they can practice their religion without fear and that they can be who they are.”
Judge Nadia Kahf was nominated to the New Jersey Superior Court in February 2022. However, her nomination was delayed due to State Senator Kristin Corrado’s objection.
Hundreds of citizens and ninety elected officials of the State of New Jersey wrote letters to Senator Corrado, urging her to appoint the very first hijabi to the court. Despite Senator Corrado withdrawing her objection in October 2022, Judge Kahf’s confirmation did not come until March 2023.
