Free Republic

Supreme Court-designate Ketanji Brown Jackson didn’t attempt to stay neutral on a gun control issue that could land before the high court one day. During a commencement address at Harvard University last week, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern listed several items her government has accomplished in recent years, including “banning military-style semi-automatics and assault rifles.” New Zealand banned these weapons after the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting, which left 51 dead. Jackson, who was sitting near Ardern, was seen applauding while the graduates gave a standing ovation.

The U.S. Senate has approved the historic nomination of Pakistani-American Zahid Quraishi to the District Court in New Jersey, making him the first Muslim federal judge in the country’s history. The Senate voted 81-16 on Thursday to confirm Mr. Quraishi, 46. As many as 34 Republicans joined the Democrats in confirming the first-ever Muslim-American as a federal judge. Currently, a magistrate judge for the District of New Jersey, Mr. Quraishi would now make history when he will be sworn in as the Judge of the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.

MSNBC's shows may have undergone a name change, but Tuesday's edition of Stephanie Ruhle Reports presented the same left-wing bias as before. As President Biden named his first batch of judicial appointments, Ruhle and White House correspondent Kristen Welker marveled how, unlike Trump's judicial nominees, they aren't white males. Their diversity was all that mattered, and their ideology wasn't worth questioning. Ruhle began by wondering, "Kristen, while I have you, one of former President Trump's, for conservatives, 'biggest wins' [quote fingers used] were all of the judges he put on the bench. I know President Biden just announced his first...

Quraishi was appointed in 2019 to be a magistrate judge in the District of New Jersey by the judges he now seeks to join on the bench. A magistrate judge is not technically considered a member of the federal bench the same way a district court or circuit judge is because the position is not outlined in the Constitution's Article III and magistrate judges are not appointed by the president. Magistrate judges are assigned by statute to oversee some matters and may also be delegated tasks by bona fide district judges. Quraishi, who is of Pakistani descent, got his law...