Biden nomination of the first Muslim American to a federal appeals court in peril

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's nomination of Adeel Mangi to be a powerful U.S. circuit court judge is in peril after two Senate Democrats announced they will oppose his nomination.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have said they will oppose Mangi's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Democrats holding only a 51 to 49 majority, Mangi’s lack of Republican support means he doesn’t have the simple majority needed to be confirmed. Mangi would be the first Muslim American to serve as a judge on an appellate court, which has the last word on most federal legal disputes.

“Mr. Mangi’s affiliation with the Alliance of Families for Justice is deeply concerning,” Cortez Masto said in a statement to NBC News. “This organization has sponsored a fellowship in the name of Kathy Boudin, a member of the domestic terrorist organization Weather Underground, and advocated for the release of individuals convicted of killing police officers. I cannot support this nominee.”

Mangi has been criticized by Republicans for his involvement in the Rutgers Law School Center for Security, Race, and Rights, with Republicans condemning the center’s decision to host an event on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks which featured as a speaker Sami Al-Arian, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Republicans on the Judiciary Committee were criticized for their line of questioning to Mangi during his confirmation hearing regarding Hamas militants’ terrorist attack in Israel, with the White House saying the line of question was driven by Islamophobia.

Manchin said he opposes Mangi because, going forward, he'll only support