Muslim Becomes 1st Hijab-wearing Judge in New Jersey

A U.S. lawyer of Syrian origin, Nadia Kahf, has become the first hijab-wearing Muslim woman to work as a Supreme Court judge in a county in New Jersey.

Nadia Kahf, 50, officially assumed her duties as the first veiled judge in the United States elected from the state of New Jersey by the Supreme Court, where she assumed her position after swearing an oath on a Qur’an that she inherited from her grandmother in Damascus.

According to the local "North Jersey" website, Kahf took the oath in the middle of this week during a ceremony in Paterson.

Nadia will serve as a judge on the Supreme Court in Passaic County after being nominated by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy a year ago, according to local media.

Although she is not the first Muslim woman to serve as a state judge, she is the first Muslim to wear a hijab.

Prior to that, she worked as an attorney specializing in family and immigration issues in Wayne, New Jersey, and president of the Islamic Center of Pasiac County.

She also worked as a legal advisor at Wafa House, a non-profit organization concerned with domestic violence issues and social services.

Since 2003, Kahf has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, New Jersey, a civil rights advocacy organization.

Nadia moved to the United States from Syria when she was two years old.