WASHINGTON DC, USA - In a first for Muslim Americans, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Pakistan-born lawyer Adeel Mangi to serve on a federal appeals court on Wednesday.

If Mangi's nomination is approved by the U.S. Senate, he will become the first Muslim American to serve as a judge on a U.S. appellate court.

The lawyer was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which is based in Philadelphia. His nomination was announced alongside the nominations of seven other judicial nominees.

Mangi is a partner at the U.S. law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, which he joined in 2000 after receiving an LLM from Harvard Law School. He is also a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn and a holder of First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford.

The Pakistan-born lawyer also serves on the Alliance of Families for Justice's Advisory Board.

Adeel Mangi has also collaborated with the New York Muslim Bar Association, the Legal Aid Society of New York, and Muslims for Progressive Values.

Among his litigation highlights, the lawyer obtained the largest jury verdict in the history of the Virginia court system in a theft of trade secrets case in the software industry, according to his law firm. In cases involving the death of a state prison inmate, he has also obtained the largest settlement with New York state in history.

During Donald Trump's presidency, the lawyer actively pursued religious freedom cases and was at the forefront of legal battles involving the Muslim community.

Interestingly, the lawyer's nomination comes as President Biden faces criticism from Muslim voters for his pro-Israel stance during the Gaza conflict, as well as rising Islamophobia.