Edison’s first Muslim municipal court judge appointed

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Mayor Sam Joshi announced April 26, 2023, he has appointed Asma Warsi as a judge on Edison Municipal Court.

Warsi was unanimously confirmed earlier in the week by the Township Council and becomes the first Muslim municipal court judge in Edison’s history, a press release from the Mayor’s Office said.

“It’s important that our government reflects its population. I am very proud to announce the appointment of the first Muslim-American municipal court judge in Edison’s history,” Mayor Joshi is quoted saying in the press release. “This is a historic moment that highlights our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our justice system. Judge Warsi brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and integrity to the bench, and I am confident that she will serve our community with fairness and impartiality.”

“As a Muslim-American, I am honored to serve as the first Muslim municipal court judge in Edison’s history, and am immensely grateful to Mayor Joshi for giving me this wonderful opportunity,” Judge Warsi said. “Public service has been the backbone of my career and personal life, and I hope to bring a diverse perspective to the bench to ensure that justice is served for all members of our community.”

A Rutgers University graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts in History & Middle Eastern Studies, Judge earned a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from New York University in 1998. She would go on to earn a Juris Doctor from the Rutgers University School of Law in 2000, receiving recognition from the Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal.

Judge Warsi began practicing law in 2000 as an Assistant District Attorney for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, working in the Appeals Bureau. While there, she drafted Respondent’s briefs to the Appellate Division, responded to Habeas Corpus petitions, answered post-judgement motions and Freedom of Information Act requests, interviewed crime victims, and prepared felony/misdemeanor complaints.

In 2004 she became the Executive Director & Director of Legal Affairs for the Boaz Community Corporation, Inc., a non-profit legal services provider.

At Boaz, she represented clients in state immigration courts, and conducted annual outreach campaigns to social service providers and is credited with increasing the clinic’s immigration program consultations by 800%. She also served as an immigration law consultant from 2012 to 2020 to the non-profit Puerto Rican Action Board.

Judge Warsi has also had her own law practice since 2009, representing clients in state and immigrant courts, as well as before the Second and Third Circuits.

Since 2020 she has worked as the Immigration Services Program Director for Catholic Charities of Metuchen, where she represents clients in trial and appellate immigration courts, as well as family court during hearings for Special Immigrant Juvenile Petitions.

Additionally, she researches and drafts briefs before the Board of Immigration Appeals for denial of asylum, and in immigration litigations for claims of persecution and asylum based on protected categories such as religion, race, nationality, etc.

Judge Warsi has been published in a number of journals including the New Jersey Lawyer Magazine in 2015, as well as the Peace Psychology Book Series, in which she was a contributing author of India and Pakistan on the Brink: Considerations for Truth, Reconciliation and Forgiveness.

Judge Warsi was born in Pakistan and raised in Metuchen, New Jersey. She has lived in Edison for the past 19 years with her three children.