Muslim American Judicial Advisory Council (MAJAC)

One metric for gauging the extent to which the United States government has embraced religious pluralism is through the representation of minority religious communities in the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. While no Muslim has ever held the Oval Office, Muslims have received executive-level appointments to key positions. In the legislative branch, four Muslims have served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the judicial branch, while Muslims serve as judges across the country, only two Muslims, the Honorable Zahid Quraishi of New Jersey and the Honorable Nusrat Choudhury, have been confirmed to the federal judiciary. While the U.S. Supreme Court’s historical makeup has included Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, no Muslim has ever sat on that court, nor have members of other minority religious communities, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs. No Muslim has ever sat on a federal appellate court.  

The Muslim American Judicial Advisory Council (MAJAC) is the first sustained, coordinated effort to promote greater Muslim representation in the federal judiciary. MAJAC serves as (1) a pipeline development mechanism to identify potential judicial candidates early in their careers; (2) a mentorship hub for potential and active judicial candidates; and (3) an advocacy partner to promote qualified Muslim American judicial candidates for nomination and confirmation to the bench.  

MAJAC Council members include prominent Muslim-American lawyers in various fields of practice and service. MAJAC is co-founded and co-convened by America Indivisible, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the Capital Area Muslim Bar Association.