President Joe Biden has nominated Oregon U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai to fill a district judge’s seat.
Kasubahai has served since 2019 as a magistrate judge, a position that doesn’t require Senate confirmation and generally handles first appearances and preliminary hearings on criminal and civil cases.
Kasubahai previously served as a circuit judge in Lane County from 2007 to 2018. Before his appointment to the bench, he was on the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board for four years.
Kasubhai also worked in three private practice positions: as a solo attorney, as a partner at Kasubhai & Sanchez and as an associate at Rasmussen, Tyler & Mundorff.
He received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1996 and his bachelor of science degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992.
U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said Kasubhai will bring “an outstanding mix of experience” to his new job.
“Magistrate Kasubhai is a standout nominee, and we very much look forward to helping him advance quickly through the Senate confirmation process,” they said in a joint statement.
Kasubhai was the first Muslim to serve on the federal bench, according to Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who focuses on federal courts and the Constitution.
“The judge will bring more ethnic diversity and much relevant judicial and private practice experience to the District of Oregon,” Tobias said by email.
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