US Town Appoints Muslim Woman as Judge, Reactions Trail
- Assma Ali, an immigration lawyer of Yemeni descent, was appointed as municipal judge for Benoit, a small Mississippi town
- Some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online, accusing her of fabricating the appointment and claiming she would impose Islamic law
- A law professor who knows Ali personally defended her credentials and pointed out that the US constitution bars religious discrimination in public office
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The appointment of Assma Ali as a municipal judge in the small Mississippi town of Benoit has triggered a wave of online attacks and criticism from some politicians in the state, with opponents citing her Muslim faith as the basis of their objections.
Ali, who has nearly a decade of experience as an immigration lawyer, was appointed last week to serve as municipal judge for Benoit, a Bolivar County town with a population of fewer than 400 people.
Source: Twitter
She is an American citizen of Yemeni descent who runs her own private practice in Ridgeland.
She obtained her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, now known as Mississippi Christian University School of Law, in 2017 and was admitted to the state bar that same year.
In a social media statement following her appointment, Ali said:
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Benoit and will approach this responsibility with fairness, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the law." She added that she would uphold both the US Constitution and Mississippi law.
Politicians and trolls target Ali
Some Mississippi politicians made unsubstantiated claims online that Ali held radical beliefs.
They also alleged, without evidence, that she had fabricated the judicial appointment and suggested she intended to introduce Islamic law into the court. Calls for her removal circulated on social media purely on the grounds that she is Muslim.
Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law who has known Ali for several years, challenged those criticisms directly.
"We have people from out of state who just see a woman in a hijab, and they say action must be taken. These attacks against Ms Ali are about her religion," Rosenblatt said. He also praised her commitment to mentoring young lawyers, describing her as an upstanding member of Mississippi's legal community.
Rosenblatt further noted that both the US and Mississippi constitutions explicitly prohibit barring any person from public office on the basis of their religion.
How Mississippi municipal judges work
Mississippi has more than 200 municipal judges. Unlike state-level judicial appointments, municipal judges are appointed directly by the governing body of each city and hold jurisdiction only within that municipality.
Their responsibilities cover city ordinance violations, traffic offences, misdemeanour crimes, and certain initial court appearances, according to the Mississippi State Judiciary's website.
NJC approves 35 candidates for judges' roles
Previously, Legit.ng reported that te National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, Joseph Oyewole, for appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The recommendation was made alongside those of 35 other candidates for various judicial offices across the country during the Council’s 110th meeting held on Wednesday and presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
Source: Legit.ng
