Senate Confirms Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai Article III Appointment
By David Fauria
The US Senate voted to confirm Judge Mustafa Taher Kasubhai to a lifetime appointment as a District Judge in the US District Court for the District of Oregon on November 19, 2024.
President Joe Biden nominated Judge Kasubhai for the seat in September 2023 in anticipation of Judge Ann Aiken assuming senior status at the end of that year. Judge Kasubhai had his nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early October 2023.
Judge Kasubhai’s nomination remained pending when the First Session of the 118th Congress adjourned in January 2024 and was returned to President Biden, who renominated Judge Kasubhai that same month. He was confirmed, 51 to 44.
“The District of Oregon is thrilled to know that the Senate has confirmed Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai as our newest District Judge in Eugene,” said Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane. “Judge Kasubhai has not just served the District in his magistrate capacity since 2018, he has provided the Oregon bar with profound leadership; championing professionalism, mentorship, access to justice, and inclusion. He has served as a role model for a generation of law students, attorneys, and judges who have had the privilege of working with him,” Judge McShane noted.
I can personally attest to Judge Kasubhai’s commitment to providing mentorship, counsel, and support. I have also seen firsthand Judge Kasubhai cultivating meaningful relationships with countless law students. “Judge Kasubhai is supportive, kind, and genuinely interested in empowering externs and law students as they enter the legal profession. Whether discussing legal theory or personal interests, you always walk away feeling like he cares about what you have to say. That, combined with his unique ability to impart hope in times of darkness, is a really powerful relationship for a law student to have,” said former extern Divine Zheng who now serves as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Service of Oregon.
Judge Kasubhai began his career representing workers and unions in worker compensation cases in rural Oregon. He was appointed as a board member to the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board in 2003, where he remained until his 2007 appointment to the Lane County Circuit Court.
On joining the federal bench in 2018 as a US Magistrate Judge, Judge Kasubhai became the first Muslim American to serve as a federal judge in US history. He is now the third Muslim American judge to receive an Article III lifetime appointment. Judge Kasubhai is also the third Magistrate Judge in the District of Oregon to receive an Article III appointment after Judge Ed Leavy (1984) and Judge Michael Hogan (1991).
Judge Kasubhai was born in Reseda, California, to Indian immigrant parents and grew up in Canoga Park. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in 1992 with a degree in business administration. Judge Kasubhai graduated from the University of Oregon Law School in 1996.