Donald Trump nominates Indian-American as US district judge in Florida
Washington: President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Circuit Court Judge Anuraag Singhal as a federal judge in the US state of Florida.
Singhal is among the 17 judiciary nominations sent by the White House to the Senate. If confirmed by the Senate, Singhal would replace Judge James I. Cohn on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Singhal is the first Indian-American to be nominated to this position in Florida. His confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled for Wednesday.
Singhal, in his mid-50s, currently serves as a Circuit Court Judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, Florida, having been appointed to the bench by then-Governor Rick Scott in 2011.
Before his appointment, Singhal was in private practice in Fort Lauderdale where his practice focused on criminal defense in both the trial courts and courts of appeals, the White House said.
Early in his career, he served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney. Singhal earned his B.A. from Rice University and his Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University School of Law.
In July, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida backed Singhal's nomination to the federal district court of Southern Florida.
In a letter to Attorney General William Barr, said Singhal has consistently demonstrated his commitment to service and diversity through his involvement in the legal community, and that he was engaged with other legal and civic organisations to "improve the law, legal system, and the administration of justice."
Singhal's nomination comes days after President Trump nominated prominent Indian-American attorney Shireen Mathews as a judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of California.
If confirmed, Matthews will be the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Indian-American to serve as an Article III federal judge in the Southern District, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) said.
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Nitish likely to file nominations for Rajya Sabha polls
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on Thursday, according to JD(U) leaders.
Kumar may file his nomination papers at the state assembly around 11 am, they said.
BJP president Nitin Nabin will also file his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to be present at the time of filing of the nomination papers.
State minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary had confirmed on Wednesday that Kumar was considering entering the Rajya Sabha, which would bring to an end his tenure as the longest-serving chief minister of the state.
With Kumar likely to step down after leading the ruling NDA to a landslide victory in the 2025 assembly elections, a BJP leader is expected to take over the top post.
If that happens, Bihar will get its first BJP chief minister -- the only Hindi heartland state where the party has not held the office so far.
However, an official announcement regarding Kumar's entry into the Upper House of Parliament is yet to be made.
Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar will go to the polls on March 16.
The elections will be held as the tenures of JD(U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh and Ram Nath Thakur, RJD's Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, and RLM's Upendra Kushwaha are ending.
As per the latest tally in the state legislature, all five seats would now go to the ruling NDA.
Before filing his nomination papers, the BJP president will visit the revered Mahavir Temple here and offer prayers.
