Biden taps North Jersey lawyer as first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate court judge

President Joe Biden today nominated Adeel A. Mangi to serve as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which will make him the first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate court judge in the nation if he’s confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Mangi, 46, was born in Pakistan and is a partner at a large New York law firm, Patterson Belknap, and lives in North Jersey.   He would replace Judge Joseph Greenaway, Jr., who retired in June.

The New Jersey Globe first reported last week that Mangi, who has supported progressive causes, had emerged as the top choice to fill the key judicial post.

He has the backing of the state’s two Democratic senators, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker.

“Having come to know Adeel Mangi over the years as a fixture in the New Jersey legal community, I have seen firsthand that he is a person of integrity and deep conviction with an unflinching commitment to fairness and equality,” Booker said. “He represents the best of New Jersey: Mangi is a preeminent lawyer who has secured landmark legal victories, and I have the utmost faith in his ability to serve the people of New Jersey and our country fairly and impartially on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. I thank President Biden for this historic nomination, and I look forward to introducing Adeel Mangi to my colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee for his hearing.”

Menendez said Mangi “embodies the highest ideals of the legal profession and the very best of New Jersey.”

“Make no mistake, Mr. Mangi is a preeminent litigator with a brilliant legal mind. For over two decades, he has represented clients of all kinds in high-stakes cases before judges and juries in local, state, and federal courts. His accomplished record of appellate advocacy, combined with his steadfast commitment to serving vulnerable, voiceless clients pro bono, demonstrates his dedication to the cause of justice,” stated Menendez.  “He has unimpeachable credentials and a deep understanding of the importance of precedent in our justice system — in short, he is an ideal candidate to serve on the Court of Appeals.”

Menendez pledged to push Senate colleagues to confirm him quickly.

“This is a momentous and historic nomination. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Mr. Mangi would provide a unique, global perspective at a time when we must continue to diversify our federal judiciary,” Menendez said.  “Not only is he the first ever Muslim American to be nominated for a seat on our federal appeals courts, he would be just the third to ever serve on our federal bench. It is an immense point of pride that, if he is confirmed, two out of the three Muslim Americans serving as Article III federal judges would be New Jerseyans.”

Mangi represented the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge in a 2016 religious freedom discrimination case after Bernards Township officials refused to permit the construction of a mosque.  The case against Bernards was eventually settled for $3.25 million.   Mangi donated legal fees awarded to him to several charities, including a scholarship fund for Muslim law students.

After Bayonne rejected an application to build a mosque in that city, Mangi sued.  He won a $400,000 settlement and a permit.

The process to fill an open seat on the Third Circuit has been underway since Greenway announced his retirement plans in February.  New Jersey has four seats on the 14-member Third Circuit; eight go to Pennsylvania and two to Delaware.

As previously reported by the Globe, Mangi became one of five finalists for the seat on a list that included U.S. Magistrate Judge Jose Almonte, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna, and New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis.

The White House appeared intensely interested in Pierre-Louis, the first Black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court, but ultimately, Pierre-Louis withdrew her name, preferring to remain in the job she’s held since 2020.

New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum also had support for the post, but the White House believed the 35-year-old former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was too young for an appellate court seat.

Late in the process, Menendez sought to add Lisa Perez Friscia, Superior Court Appellate judge, to the mix, but she did not make the finalist list.

Mangi won a $2 billion jury verdict last year in Virginia in a case involving the theft of software trade secrets, according to his law firm website,