In a first, Pakistani born Saima Mohsin will become the first Muslim woman federal prosecutor after she was named as the acting US attorney for Michigan's Eastern District.
Last week, the Joe Biden administration appointed Mohsin as the acting US attorney for Michigan's Eastern District.
Mohsin will be taking charge of the post in an acting capacity following the resignation of incumbent Matthew Schneider. The prosecutor had resigned shortly after President Biden took over the presidency.
The US Justice Department said that Schneider’s last day as the United States Attorney will be February 1.
The US Justice Department said that Mohsin will "immediately assume office as Acting United States Attorney" under the Vacancies Reform Act.
Earlier, Mohsin was serving as the First Assistant United States Attorney since March 2018.
"She is a career prosecutor, having served in the US Attorney’s Office since 2002, and prior to that as a Deputy New Jersey Attorney General and an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan," said the Justice Department.
Mohsin called the appointment a "great honour".
"I am deeply committed to fulfilling our core mission to faithfully enforce the law and seek justice for all,” Mohsin was quoted in the press release.
'One of the finest federal prosecutors'
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Pakistan born lawyer will bring diversity to an important position.
The publication reported that Mohsin is a graduate of the Rutgers University in New Jersey where she earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree.
While outgoing attorney Schneider said he was "pleased" to leave the US Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of Michigan in Mohsin's hands who he called "one of the finest federal prosecutors" he's ever known.
"Saima is a dynamic trial lawyer and a talented manager. And, as the first woman, immigrant, Muslim United States Attorney in American history, her service is truly historic," said Schneider. He is confident that the lawyer will be an "outstanding representative and defender" of the community.
Meanwhile, the two leaders with Muslim advocacy Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told the Detroit Free Press that they were not aware of any US attorney or acting US attorney who has been Muslim.
"I do not believe that there has ever been a Muslim US Attorney," Gaider Abbas told the Detroit Free Press.
The position of acting US attorney for which Mohsin has been named is not a permanent one and US laws allow judges to select an interim US Attorney.
Not only this, President Joe Biden could nominate someone to fill the position, which would have to be confirmed by the US Senate.
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