Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada has announced her opposition to Adeel Mangi's nomination as the first Muslim federal appeals court judge, citing concerns from law enforcement groups. Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Joe Manchin also plan to vote against Mangi, potentially sinking his nomination in the closely-divided Senate. Mangi has faced opposition from law enforcement groups over his affiliation with a criminal justice reform group, while the White House contends he has been subjected to Islamophobic smears by Republican opponents. If confirmed, Mangi would restore a 7-7 split on the 3rd Circuit among active judges appointed by Democratic or Republican presidents.
President Biden's nomination of Adeel Mangi, the first Muslim American to be appointed as a U.S. circuit court judge, is in jeopardy as two Senate Democrats, Catherine Cortez Masto and Joe Manchin, have announced their opposition, citing concerns about his affiliations and lack of bipartisan support. Republicans have also criticized Mangi for his involvement in controversial events and associations. The White House has stood by Mangi, denouncing the criticisms as a smear campaign based on his religion, while Senate Judiciary Committee members have expressed both support and opposition to his nomination.
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto announced she won't support President Joe Biden’s judicial nominee, Adeel Mangi, due to his affiliation with the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ), citing concerns about the organization's ties to a member of the Weather Underground and advocacy for releasing individuals convicted of killing police officers. However, Mangi, a well-qualified nominee, has been the target of baseless and Islamophobic attacks by the GOP, with Republicans making disingenuous claims about his background. The decision by Cortez Masto, the first Democrat to publicly oppose Mangi, has thrown the fate of his nomination into question, as he can only afford to lose one more Democratic vote.
The Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative group, has launched Islamophobic and misleading ads targeting President Joe Biden’s Muslim judicial nominee, Adeel Mangi, accusing him of being a "radical" and an "antisemite." However, Mangi has been endorsed by more than a dozen major Jewish groups and has faced inappropriate attacks from GOP senators during his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. President Biden and Sen. Cory Booker continue to defend Mangi, calling the attacks "disgusting." The timing of Mangi’s final confirmation vote is still unclear.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and Josh Hawley for their treatment of President Joe Biden's judicial nominee Adeel Mangi during his confirmation hearing. The senators berated and interrupted Mangi, who is Muslim, with irrelevant and hostile questions about the Israeli-Hamas conflict and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CAIR called the line of questioning Islamophobic and urged senators to assess Muslim American judicial nominees based on their expertise and qualifications. The Republican senators' questioning was seen as either terrible optics or plainly Islamophobic, and Mangi repeatedly denounced terrorism and antisemitism during the hearing.
